Québec Électricien is seeing an increase in the volume of requests for generators as winter approaches, according to Olivier Laflèche, marketing director of Québec Électricien.
“It comes from far-sighted people who certainly experienced repeated breakdowns the winter before,” mentioned Mr. Laflèche in an interview, while Québec Électricien receives more than 1,200 requests for generators each year.
Québec Électricien's mandate is to help customers find the right electrician in their region.
“Otherwise, during winter, during periods of widespread outages, we also see a high volume of requests,” adds Mr. Laflèche.
Generator panel
The main requests are mainly for installation services for residential generator panels (transfer switches), automatic or manual.
The generator panel allows you to power the main electrical circuits of the house (refrigerator, heating, lighting, appliances, etc.) from an external generator, in the event of a breakdown.
Need an electrician
Alain Turcotte, president of Lizotte Électrique, reminds us that only a certified electrician can install a generator panel.
The electrician will indicate in particular the generator power necessary to power the circuits in the event of a breakdown in the house.
Mr. Turcotte also says that he often finds himself faced with a fait accompli, that is to say that the customer has already purchased a generator.
“The customer makes a list of what he wants to power, but we bring him back to earth a little because we cannot always power everything he would like,” if the generator is not powerful enough, explains Mr. Turcotte.
“People realize it takes a lot of energy to power a house,” he adds. “We check what we can power, depending on the power of the generator.”
This also happens when the customer has not yet purchased a generator. “We make a list with him of what he wants to power and we will suggest the right generator power,” adds Mr. Turcotte.
How to determine your generator needs?
People also wonder about choosing the right generator according to their needs, the constraints of their home, and of course, their budget.
“We frequently receive requests from customers who know they need a generator, but who [n’en] do not necessarily know the implications,” adds Mr. Laflèche, referring to the panel, the connection, the preparation of the location, the required power, etc.
It is therefore necessary to determine the type of power supply for the generator (gasoline, propane, liquid propane). “The gasoline model is the most common and the most sought after by our customers because of the price and simplicity,” says Mr. Laflèche.
The latter adds that it is also necessary to determine the desired duration of autonomy (2 hours, 5 hours, 8 hours, 24 hours, etc.) and the location of the generator. The distance between the panel and the generator can complicate installation and increase costs.
How much does it cost?
On average, installing a manual generator panel costs around $2,200, according to Québec Électricien.
“We still need to obtain the generator in question,” recalls Mr. Laflèche. “At the end of the day, it risks going beyond a budget of $3,000.”
The power (watts) of the generator is the main element that varies the price.
Three generators to get for the house
FIRMAN gasoline generator, 4450 W/3550 W (continuous)
Portable generator equipped with “CO Alert” technology. It therefore automatically turns off if harmful levels of carbon monoxide are detected. 18.9 liter fuel tank. Runs up to 14 hours at 50% charge.
PHOTO COURTESY BMR
FIRMAN gasoline generator, 10,000 W/8000 W (continuous)
This 10,000 W gasoline generator is also equipped with “CO Alert” technology. It can operate for up to 12 hours with its 30 liter tank.
PHOTO COURTESY BMR
FIRMAN Inverter Gasoline Generator, 2100W/1700W (Continuous)
2100 W portable gasoline generator equipped with a 3.4 liter tank, which allows up to 9 hours of autonomy.
PHOTO COURTESY BMR
