Don’t let a storm leave you and your family without power.
Learn more about home generators.
New Jersey and Pennsylvania homeowners saw a wet and rainy summer, and now that it’s hurricane season, we’re looking at least another two months of uncertain weather. Are you and your home ready for severe weather or a potential power outage?
As HVAC and home performance specialists serving Mercer, Middlesex, Somerset, and Bucks Counties, we wanted to share with you some key tips to help you prepare for storm season.
Trim your trees.
Hurricanes and severe storms often tear heavy limbs off of trees, and if you’re unlucky, a broken limb will damage your home’s exterior or puncture a window. Trimming your trees ahead of time can prevent this type of damage to your home.
Check your gutters.
Now is also a good time to clean your gutters and make sure they’re draining properly. Clear your gutters of any leaves and debris and make sure your downspouts are draining away from your home.
Prepare your home’s exterior.
There are also a few things you can do to “storm proof” your home’s exterior. Inspect your siding for damage, cracks, and holes, making sure to seal up any leaks with caulk. Also be sure to weatherstrip windows and doors and to install storm doors and windows if necessary.
Install a generator.
Installing a generator is one of the best things you can do for peace of mind during storm season. A whole-house standby generator serves as an on-site source of power when there’s a power outage in your area. This means that as long as your generator stays maintained, your lights, HVAC systems, kitchen appliances, internet, and more will continue running — even when your neighbors don’t have electricity.
A generator is especially important for homes with well water. These homes with rely on a well pump powered by electricity for their water supply. Should a power outage occur, that means no water for drinking, cooking, washing dishes and clothes, flushing toilets, showering, feeding animals, and more. A generator will keep the water supply and other essential appliances running.
Track outages in your area.
It’s also a good idea to get up-to-date information about power outages in your area. Jersey Central Power & Light and PSE&G both post real-time outage data on their websites.