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Riverside Electric, Inc.<br />
WWW.RIVERSIDE-ELEC.COM<br />
513-936-0100<br />
Power Play<br />
We all get a bit scared when the lights unexpectedly go out.<br />
But there’s actually a word for this angst. “Nonamophobia”<br />
is the fear of a blackout or power outage. There’s no<br />
doubt we get a sickening feeling when the power fl ashes<br />
off, wondering how long it’s going to be off and how<br />
much of that food in the fridge is going to spoil. To help<br />
prepare for those outages, we spoke with Krista Mahon,<br />
president of Riverside Electric, Inc.<br />
Pictured: Krista Mahon, 4th generation, and her father Paul Gangloff Jr., 3rd generation.<br />
How did you get started in the generator business?<br />
My family launched this company 78 years ago. But we expanded<br />
to include generators in 2008 when Cincinnati felt<br />
the effects of Hurricane Katrina and over 900,000 households<br />
lost power—some staying dark for more than a week.<br />
And there’s no doubt, as our country’s energy grid ages and<br />
extreme weather increases, we can expect to be without power<br />
more often.<br />
What’s the difference between a home backup generator<br />
and a portable generator?<br />
A whole home backup generator is permanently installed<br />
and sits outside just like a central air conditioning unit and<br />
is powered by your natural gas line, liquid propane, and in<br />
some cases diesel fuel. It delivers power directly to your<br />
home’s electrical panel backing up your entire home—or just<br />
the most essential items if you choose a select circuit system.<br />
These turn on automatically—whether you’re home or away.<br />
Most can be monitored using a smartphone, tablet, or PC.<br />
A portable generator is usually kept in the garage or shed<br />
and run on gasoline or diesel. You need to place it away from<br />
open doors or windows, start it up, and run extension cords<br />
through windows to the appliances you want to operate.<br />
There are some brands that can be hooked up to a manual<br />
transfer switch but you have to be home to plug them in.<br />
Don’t forget to have enough fuel on hand to keep it running<br />
for as long as it’s required.<br />
Where does the conversation start if I am considering<br />
purchasing a permanent generator?<br />
We ask if you have natural gas or liquid propane available at<br />
your property, the square footage of your home, and how appliances<br />
run on electric vs. natural gas/propane. Do you want<br />
a whole house system, or do you want to cover essential items<br />
only such as your sump pump, refrigerator, deep freezer and<br />
air conditioner? And most importantly, we ask why you are<br />
inquiring. Is a frequent power outage your biggest worry? Or<br />
does someone in the home require power for example, for<br />
oxygen, a chair lift, or a CPAP machine?<br />
How do you determine what size generator I need?<br />
We check the current load on your panel and calculate the<br />
kilowatts needed. Again, depending on whether you would<br />
want a whole house or select circuit system. We can create<br />
customized power solutions based on the specific needs of<br />
your home and family. We install generators sizing from 7.5<br />
kilowatts (1 kw=1,000 watts) all the way up as high as 250<br />
kilowatts.<br />
How much should I expect to spend?<br />
Including installation, the price of a select circuit system can<br />
range from $5,000 to $8,000 and a whole home solution<br />
can range from $9,500 up to $12,000. Very large homes will<br />
move from air cooled units to liquid cooled units and can<br />
range anywhere from $13,000 up to $20,000. These are ballpark<br />
figures, and it all depends on how the home is laid out<br />
and what size generator you need.<br />
30 Home & Leisure
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