Does the term Public Safety Power Shutoff make you feel concerned or uneasy? You’re not alone.

If you live in a fire risk area here in California, you may be affected by this new procedure. Power companies will shut off power in order to prevent devastating wildfires. If a live power line goes down when vegetation is dry and wind gusts are high, the chance for wildfires increases. Shutoff conditions also include low humidity levels, fire threat, real-time observation, and red-flag warnings. Since lives and entire communities are at risk during conditions like this, local power companies are taking action to protect our communities.

Depending on multiple factors, your power could be out for just a few hours or for days at a time. Because there’s no way of knowing how long we might be without power, it’s important to have an emergency plan in place.

When facing an unexpected power outage of an unknown length, the most important thing to do is make sure you have access to an alternative source of power – especially if you have medical devices that rely on power or medications that need to be refrigerated.

Here are the two most important things to remember: 

1. Always have a reliable generator by your side.
2. If you already own a backup generator, make sure it’s operational and ready.

Right now, most California residents who don’t already own a generator are planning to purchase one. You will need to decide between two types of generators:

• PORTABLE or
• HOME STANDBY

So, what’s the difference?

A portable generator provides temporary power and runs on gasoline, propane, or both. You can choose from a traditional open frame generator, or quieter options like an open frame or traditional inverter generator. Your most basic needs will require at least 3500 watts of power. Obviously, the more items you’d like to run, the more wattage you’ll need to choose. When an outage is imminent, and you need to find an alternative power source quickly, as long as you can find one in stock locally during business hours, you can purchase a portable generator and have it up and running within an hour or two.

A home standby generator, or HSB, is installed permanently near your house, connects directly to your home's electrical system and runs on your home’s fuel supply, either natural gas or propane. A HSB starts automatically when the power goes out and returns to standby when power is restored. If you think a home standby generator is the best choice to meet the needs of you and your family, it’s important to start the purchase and installation process right away. You will need to allow plenty of time to choose the right size, get a quote from a local dealer, have the installation site prepared, and have the unit installed and connected properly.

In order to choose a generator that’s the right size for your needs, you must decide if you want to power a few emergency essentials or your entire home. To give you an idea of the wide range of items you can power with a generator, here’s a quick overview.

A 2800- to 3800-watt generator will power your essentials, such as a single-room portable A/C, fan, lamps, modem/router, TV and cable box or your lights, cell phone, TV and cable box, model/router, refrigerator and microwave.

A 5500- to 14,000-watt generator (and larger) will power your essentials all the way up to almost everything in your home, such as your refrigerator, washing machine, well pump, portable A/C, lamps, TV and cable box, laptop, cell phone, modem/router, microwave, blender, slow cooker and more.

A 1200- to 1800-watt generator will power a few essential items, such as your cell phone, residential refrigerator and slow cooker, or a lamp, laptop, modem/router, TV and cable box, radio and fan.

At Champion Power Equipment, we’re dedicated to helping our fellow California residents prepare now for the Public Safety Power Shutoff. We are here for you to provide the support you need and answer your questions as you make plans to secure a safe source of backup power. If you need help choosing the best generator to meet your needs, visit our generator selector, send us an email, or give us a call at 1-877-338-0999. 

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