Homeowners who want to provide an emergency backup source for their electricity can invest in home power generators. If you ever lose power, these generators will kick in to provide a power source throughout your house. You can also purchase smaller, less powerful generators to provide electricity away from your home.

The electricity created by home power generators is measured in voltage and watts. Voltage measures the "pressure" of an electric current, while wattage measures the "volume" of electricity being created. If you know the specific voltage you need, you can find generators for all common voltages. Your wattage requirements will increase with each additional appliance you need the generator to power.

Home power generator types
Standby home power generators are used to offset the harmful effects of power outages: they're installed permanently as an emergency power source for your home. Standby generators are hardwired into your house's electrical system and often get fuel from city gas or propane lines.

Portable home power generators provide power where there isn’t any, such as camping grounds and construction sites. These generators use gasoline-fueled tanks that are built into the units. You can also use portable generators to power essential appliances during a power outage, just like standby generators. However, they only have enough power for a few hours at a time.