As expected this year, the Fraser Valley and Lower Mainland’s Winter has lived up to the hype. With arctic outflow warnings and extremely strong winds on the horizon, the likelihood of power outages occurring has increased tenfold. One of the best solutions to the threat of power outages is a standby emergency generator installation. The licensed electricians at Expert Electric have been installing standby emergency generators in residential homes for many years and can help keep your home powered in the occurrence of an unforeseen power outage. To provide you with a better understanding of standby emergency generators, Expert Electric answers some of the most important questions regarding them below:

A standby emergency generator does not require electricity to power household electrical appliances. Most standby emergency generators run on natural gas or liquefied petroleum gas which means they are unaffected by power outages. When Expert Electric installs a generator, the first main breaker is connected to the home’s load center while the other is connected to the generator. The generator panel is then connected to circuits for critical electrical loads such as a home’s larger appliances (furnace, refrigerator, lights).

A standby emergency generator can keep your home’s most important appliances powered during lengthy power outages. A generator can keep your refrigerator cool, reducing the likelihood of food spoiling and needing to be discarded. A generator can also power your home’s lights and heat source which are critical during the Winter months.

Determining the type of standby emergency generator that is right for a home often depends on the size of the home and the amount of appliances that will need to remain powered during an outage. It is best to determine which appliances you absolutely cannot live without during a power outage. Once you have identified these items, the licensed electricians at Expert Electric can help determine which type is best.

The main benefit of a standby emergency generator installation is power. Depending on the length of the occurrence, power outages can be extremely inconvenient, discomforting and costly. A generator allows homeowners to keep all of their main appliances powered and their families safe during an outage.

If you have any questions about standby emergency generator installations, please contact the licensed electricians at Expert Electric today. We offer a large variety of professional electrical services for both residential homes and commercial buildings. It is important to ensure that your home or commercial building is prepared for the extreme weather conditions forecasted for the remainder of Winter. For tips on how to keep your home warm in the Winter and Winter electrical safety, check out our list of past blog articles.

The celebration continues! Pegasus Lighting is 15 this year, and to commemorate our anniversary we’re creating monthly blog posts about popular culture 15 years ago. You know, just to remember where we came from. July 1999 was a tumultuous month. There were some inspirational moments, tragic moments, and just plain bizarre moments, like when we intentionally crashed a spacecraft into the moon. Enjoy this walk down memory lane. Don’t forget your baggy pants, hair gel, and Christina Aguilera CDs.

1. Moon Boom

via Wikipedia

Mercury-Redstone 4, the second U.S. spaceflight, which launched in July 1961, resulted in the near-death of astronaut Virgil I. Grissom and the sinking of the Liberty Bell 7 spacecraft. The vessel was rescued from the depths of the Atlantic in July 1999.

 3. Lance Does a Victory Dance (Possibly Drug-Induced)

Good old Lance Armstrong of LIVESTRONG and doping fame won his first Tour de France in July 1999. It was the beginning of an Armstrong era that would later be tainted by the fact that Armstrong was doing unethical things to give him the edge to win. Live Strong? Even if it means cheating? Thanks a lot, Lance. Great role model. Pshh.

4. Crash in Martha’s Vineyard

Off the coast of Martha’s Vineyard, a plane piloted by John F. Kennedy Jr. crashed, killing him and his wife Caroyln Bessette Kennedy and her sister Lauren Bessette. Very sad. Sorry for depressing you. But this is what was – phew! – I almost said “This is what was going down.” That would have been indelicate phrasing. This is what was HAPPENING in July 1999.

5. HARRY POTTAH!

In July 1999, the third novel in the HARRY POTTER series, HARRY POTTER AND THE PRISONER OF AZKABAN, was published in the UK. It sold 68,000 copies in the first three days and won a bunch of prestigious literary awards. Cha-ching!

6. A Blur of a Man

In a bizarre event, a Japanese man named Yuji Nishizawa hijacked an All Nippon Airways Boeing 747 and stabbed one of the pilots with a 8″ kitchen knife before being subdued by the crew. The pilot died shortly after the emergency landing, and the perpetrator was apprehended. Because he was diagnosed with mental illness, he was given a sentence of life in prison. Weirdly, he had discovered a way to smuggle weapons on planes, and, shortly before the incident, he had written to the airline alerting them to the security flaw and asking for a job in airport security. No one listened, until the hijacking. Then, the security flaw was fixed in all Japanese airports. Some people, man. Makes you want to go back in time and slap some sense into him.

8. Woodstock Again… Again

They tried to recreate the Woodstock music festival in 1994. What happened? Violence and destruction. So they figured, hey! Let’s give it another go! So, in July 1999, Woodstock 99 was held in Rome, NY. What happened? Violence and destruction. And sexual assault. Sorry Limp Bizkit fans, this is not going to work out. There were no more Woodstocks. (Or Limp Bizkit fans, incidentally.)

9. Andre Is Wimble DONE!

On the Fourth of July, in Wimbledon, England, under a blazing sun, Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi were battling it on the grass out for glory and riches. And a real big trophy. Pete Sampras defeated Agassi in three sets and called the match the “best tennis of [his] life.”

10. It’s Electric! (I know. Sorry.)

Florida commits its last act of execution by electric chair. The convict? Allen Lee Davis. I won’t go into detail about his heinous crimes. Or his execution. But it was shocking enough – oops I did it again! – I mean APPALLING enough for death by electric chair to be considered cruel and unusual punishment from then on in the state of Florida.

11. Hello Safeco

The inaugural baseball game was held at the Seattle Mariners’ Safeco Field in July, 1999. The field looked great. But the Mariners lost to the San Diego Padres, 2-3. Womp womp.

12. American Why? Just Why?

Stanley Kubrick’s latest film EYES WIDE SHUT was released in the middle of the month. Mask party, anyone?

14. Teenie Genie in a Bottle