If you're experiencing frequent power outages in your home, you may be thinking about buying or leasing a generator.
Having a generator means that, when your main electricity supply fails, you'll still have enough power to light your home, run your refrigerator and turn on your television - depending on the type of generator you utilise.
However, if you've never bought or rented a generator before, it can be a daunting experience.
Buying one can be a considerable outlay, and while renting one may consolidate the expense into manageable monthly sums, there's still a lot of pressure to choose the right model that will provide your home with the power you need.
So what exactly do you need to look out for when choosing a generator? Generator Wattage and Fuel The first thing to consider is wattage.
Make a list of all the home appliances you want your generator to be able to power, and find out what wattage they require.
For example, you might want your lights, television and computer to have power, but you may not necessarily require your generator to power your washing machine.
If you can't find wattage information in your home (appliance manuals and booklets should tell you), conduct a quick search on the relevant manufacturer's website or ask the retailer or hire company of your choice for advice.
Once you've added up the required wattage to power the appliances on your list, the generator you choose should have a maximum wattage that exceeds this.
You should also consider what fuel type works best for you.
Some experts recommend gasoline generators as the best option for portable models.
Gasoline, however, has a relatively short shelf life.
Diesel generators, while more expensive, offer one of the safest options since they are less flammable, more efficient and also quieter to run.
But the eventual decision you make will be individual to your home and dependent on your personal requirements.
Noise Levels and Added Extras It's also important to pay attention to the estimated sound levels of generators.
A noisy generator may disturb you and your neighbours, so it's advisable to look for one that keeps engine noise to a minimum.
Between 60 and 40 decibels is usually recommended as an acceptable level of noise, and a generator that emits significantly more noise than this could create noise pollution.
These properties are essential to consider when procuring your generator, whether you're buying an electrical model from a shop or leasing from a diesel generator hire company.
However, you should also look for added extras that could make your generator experience a little easier.
These might include having wheels on a portable generator, or an electric button switch rather than a recoil start-up method.