Protecting Your Home From Power Outages
Overview
The most common causes of power outages are severe storms. Ice storms, hurricanes, tornadoes, thunderstorms, lightning, and heavy rain can damage or destroy the power lines, switchgear, and transformers that deliver power to your home.
The most critical electrical devices in a home are typically some lights, TV and radio, water pump, refrigerators and freezers, and the circulation blowers for a gas heating system.
Bergey VCS II Costs
For a wind system to supply power during a power outage it must have batteries and special electronics that are not needed in systems that simply reduce utility bills Therefore, these systems, like the Bergey VCS II line, typically cost 20-40% more. In the Bergey product line the PowerSync II systems can not supply power during an outage and the VCS II systems can supply power during an outage.
Power outages and Bergey
If you experience power outages a few times a year and they typically don’t last over a day or two, we recommend a back-up gas, propane, or diesel generator and a transfer switch (isolates your home from the power grid). Home Depot, or other local hardware store, is a good place to get the equipment and assistance your need.
If your outages last longer than a few days, then a Bergey VCS II package should be considered. This is particularly true if you are in a state that offers a significant subsidy program