Having a back up generator in your office is an essential part of emergency procedures should you face a power cut or blackout. If you are not adequately prepared for such a scenario , you will find you and your workforce unable to work and thus at a loss, both professionally and financially. What if you have a client visiting and you are faced with the embarrassing situation of having to halt your meeting as you have no back up power? It certainly would not reflect well on your brand or business.

What Kind of Generator Should I Have?

Generators come in various shapes and sizes based on their kVA output and engine size. These qualities are objective and therefore best decided upon by consulting an expert who can properly determine  the right model  for you. The more subjective differentiating quality  is what kind of fuel the engine runs off. Similar to a car, the most popular fuels  are petrol and diesel.

Petrol

The main benefit of opting for a petrol generator is that there is more choice available for this type of model. This is simply down to the fact that petrol has been in use for longer than diesel, and so there has been more time for development of petrol generators. Other than this, the advantages are few and far between, as although petrol is cheaper to purchase, diesel is more efficient.

Diesel

The biggest advantage to a diesel powered generator, as previously discussed, is the unbeatable fuel efficiency. This means that you get more for your money in the long term, but have to spend slightly more in the short term on the initial purchase . Many cite the fact that diesel generators are more expensive to repair than petrol engines as a drawback, but this is in fact balanced out in the long term as the diesel versions lack certain parts that the petrol engines feature, such as an ignition. This means there are less elements on them to go wrong.

All businesses should have a back up generator and it’s clear that the advantages of a diesel powered generator far outweigh the advantages of a petrol one. Whilst a petrol fuelled generator might be tempting due to its low initial price, you will likely end up paying more in the long term than you would have done should you have paid slightly more for a diesel version. If you want to ensure your business can operate regardless of any power outages , make sure you invest in a good back up generator for your office.