My house is heated by a boiler/radiator system and I do not have any other source of heat (e.g. fireplace) to heat my home during an extended power failure. Given that a family member living in downtown Toronto was stranded without power for 6 days and had to finally abandon her house when temperatures dropped to -14C, it was time for me to look at options to power my house during an extended power failure.
I contacted Ring Electric for a quote to install a natural gas "Generac" generator. Bryan Verhulp, the owner of Ring Electric returned my call the same day and then visited my house in order to prepare an estimate.
Given that my house has small yards, Bryan explained to me that there was not sufficient space to meet the distance requirements for clearances between the "Generac" generator and items such as my windows, wood porches, property lines, etc. Bryan then helped me to look at alternatives that could power the essential circuits (i.e. heating system, fridge, gas cooktop hood vent) in my house.
In the end, Bryan recommended the installation of a transfer switch panel that would be powered by a lightweight portable 2000 watts gasoline generator that would sit on my back porch and be plugged into the transfer switch panel via an exterior inlet plug.
To use this system during a power failure, all I have to do is place the generator on my rear porch, start it up and then plug it into the exterior inlet plug that is wired to the transfer swiitch panel. Next, I just have to go to my basement and switch over the power source from Ontario Hydro to my gas generator via the transfer switch panel. This is a great solution for my needs and is easy to use!
I found Bryan and his staff of electricians who installed the transfer switch panel and wiring to be very helpful and to provide excellent serivce in a friendly and professional manner. They even wore "booties" over their shoes to protect my floors.
I highly recommend Ring Electric to anyone who requires electrical work done in their house. I give them A+ rating!
- Approximate cost of services:
- $1,100.00
- Company Response
Richard,
Thanks for the comments, they are much appreciated. It was a pleasure to come up with a solution that worked for your situation. Look forward to helping you out with any future projects in your home.
Take care,
Bryan Verhulp, CEO Ring Electric Inc.