Portland Whole-House Generator Services

Thousands of Oregonians lose electricity at home every year because of extreme weather, wildfires, and planned power outages. 

Everyone remembers the scorching heat wave of June 2020, when the combination of high demand and stress on electrical equipment led to power outages. Less than a year later, in February 2021, a historic ice storm took down power lines and left many homeowners in the dark for nearly a week.

Five months ago, high wind and wildfires prompted utility companies to shut off power temporarily as a public safety measure. 

Oregon marked the end of 2022 and the beginning of 2023 with high winds and power outages. It likely will not be the last time the power goes out this year.

Installing a Whole-House Generator

According to Climate Central, a policy-neutral nonprofit that researches and reports on climate change, major power outages from weather events increased by 78 percent from 2011 to 2021, compared to 2000 to 2010.

You can learn to live without heat, air conditioning, lights, and appliances from time to time in Gresham or find a workaround. At Sun Glow Home Services, we can offer a more practical solution: install a whole-house generator.

We are a family-run heating, cooling, plumbing, and electrical company with a 50-year track record of assisting homeowners in the greater Portland area. Our expert team can recommend and install a whole-house standby generator that will automatically turn on and power your home when utility-provided electricity is unavailable.

How a Standby Generator Works

Standby generators, also called stationary generators, sit outside your Gresham home on a sturdy foundation, such as a concrete pad, and connect to your home electrical panel. The equipment, which runs on natural gas, propane, or diesel fuel, has a transfer switch that can detect power loss from the utility company.

When the electricity goes out, the switch disconnects your home from the utility and connects it to the generator.

When the electric company restores power, the transfer switch closes the connection to the generator and opens it to the utility power. The generator remains in standby mode until it detects another power loss. 

A standby generator works automatically. You do not have to be at home to switch it on, off, or monitor it. You never will come home from vacation to find the contents of your refrigerator spoiled because a power outage occurred while you were away.

Your generator will keep the heat on during a winter outage and will run your air conditioner when the electricity goes out in the summer.

Standby Versus Portable Generators

A whole-house generator will maintain your comfort, run your appliances, power home electronics, and keep the lights on. It can last 20 years or more, depending on how often you use it. It also adds value to your home. Standby generators surpass portable generators in terms of convenience, safety, and other benefits.

Portable equipment runs on gasoline and does not start automatically. You set up and start the generator, which can be a challenge if the power outage occurs after dark.

A portable generator must be at least 20 feet away from windows, doors, and vents to protect your home from carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning. You cannot use it indoors, in a garage, or in the rain.

A whole-house standby generator offers power and peace of mind without the carbon monoxide risk.

Honeywell Generators

At Sun Glow Home Services, we are proud to recommend Honeywell generators to our customers.

Honeywell’s whole-house generators are quieter than other brands, use less fuel, and air-cooled models are Wi-Fi–enabled, allowing you to monitor and control the equipment while away from home.

Through Mobile Link^™, you can obtain such information as the generator operating status on your smartphone or tablet.  The Sync^® Controller enables you to monitor the generator’s battery and keep track of maintenance needs no matter where you are.

Prepare for Outages With a Whole-House Generator

Let our qualified pros at Sun Glow Home Services install a whole-house generator in your Gresham, OR, home. Call us at (503) 253-7789 or request service online.