TEXAS, USA — With an arctic blast heading to Central Texas with overnight temps in the teens, you may be wondering, is it too late to get a generator, and is it worth the hefty price tag?
Nick Wilson with Ace Hardware in Belton says if people want to be prepared for the worst, it's best to get a generator now.
"Spend a little now, save a lot later," Wilson said. "Whether it be a generator, a faucet cover, propane, firewood, whatever it is, don't wait until nobody has it."
Many residents are still left with questions about what to buy and how well it keeps things up and running during an outage.
Wilson says there are portable and permanent generators.
Permanent ones are meant to power an entire home and portable ones are meant for smaller homes, typically running off propane or gas.
Installing a permanent generator can cost up to $20,000 while portable generators range from $450 to $1,000. Although it can be an expensive purchase, Wilson says it could save you in the long run.
"That's going to hopefully help keep your pipes from freezing," Wilson said. "Pipes freeze, pipes burst, that causes damage, sometimes insurance fights you. Then you're out of pocket way more than $1,000. It's just a one-time purchase. It's for the safety of you, your family and your belongings."
One of the most important considerations when choosing a generator is the amount of power you need.
Wilson said many people come into the store asking if they can run their fridge, microwave and space heater.
Wilson talks more about this in the video below:
What you're running factors into how big of a generator you need.
"If you're just running two space heaters to keep the living room warmed up, you can go with the smallest one," Wilson said. "If you're trying to keep the whole house going because everybody's coming over, get the big one."
Portable generators can also be dangerous. You can't run them in the house as they release carbon monoxide.
They have to be kept outside, so you will need to run an extension cord inside.
Most importantly, you won't be able to buy a generator if you hit stores too late. So prepare now before the arctic blast hits.
"Unfortunately, most people like myself wait until the last minute to do anything," Wilson said. "What normally happens is the bad weather hits first and then everybody runs out. I highly suggest if you are any kind of person that wants to prepare for the worst, go and get it now because it's better to have it and not need it than need it and not have it. Come two, three weeks from now, we won't have anything. We won't have generators. We won't have propane. We won't have faucet covers. We won't have pipe insulation, so get it while we have it."
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