We often receive calls in for generators and I qualify these calls based on budget. What I mean is, if I receive a call and the person is budgeting $1000 I know they’re looking for a portable generator. Backitup Inc. only sells, installs and services standby generators.  

As part of my sales job, I try to educate the potential customers in understanding the advantages of a standby generator.  Unlike portable generators, standby generators are ready to start when you lose power. Portable generators require human intervention. You have to manual set up the generator, check its fuel and start it up. Sounds easy but understand, you typically lose power in storms. Who wants to start up a generator in a February Snow Storm at 2 am in the morning? The other downside of portable generators is you require fuel and in most cases, you store fuel in your shed or garage. Keeping large amounts of fuel on your property isn’t’ a good idea unless you have a fuel storage cabinet. I suggest you reach out to your home insurance provider and qualify how much stored fuel is allowed as per your insurance policy. 

In the end, the ultimate decision is yours.