by Christy Heitger-Ewing

When the winter winds whip through the trees, thick icicles form on branches, and snow falls faster than it can be shoveled, even the homeowner who admires the beauty of the season wonders, in the back of his mind, if a power outage is imminent. Losing perishable foods and the comfort of heat is bad enough, but for those who rely on electricity to power vital medical equipment, a power outage can spell an immediate health crisis.

Burtner Electric, Inc., can offer consumers a whole-house generator that will keep most of the home up and running. Smaller generators are also an option for those who just need to keep their sump pump going or their refrigerator cold, so holiday goodies don’t spoil.

Given that winter storms are fairly common in Indiana, Russ Lamb, a field superintendent with Burtner Electric, Inc., suggests that homeowners prepare themselves prior to winter’s unforgiving season. Heavy snow, dense ice, and extreme cold all have the potential to knock out power. But homeowners can breathe easy if they know they’re equipped to handle an outage.

“Generators keep your family safe and protect your home from damages,” says Lamb, noting that a home generator system is designed for survival until power is restored. “They are also a way to help your neighbors in an extreme outage situation.”

Lamb recommends all homeowners with generators use an automatic transfer switch, which can be put on a new generator or added to an existing generator for ease of operation.

“In an emergency, you may not be home or may not be able to start your generator,” explains Lamb. “The automatic transfer switch will change your home over to the backup system for you.”

Call Burtner Electric, Inc. at 317-773-7663 to learn more about protecting your home with a back-up generator this winter.