Standby vs. Portable Generator: What Northern Minnesota Homeowners Should Know

When a winter storm takes the power out, the questions are always the same: will the furnace run, will the pipes freeze, will the sump pump keep up. A generator answers all three, but standby and portable generators answer them very differently.

Standby generators

A standby generator is installed permanently outside the house, runs on natural gas or propane, and connects through an automatic transfer switch. When the grid drops, it starts on its own and restores power in seconds, whether you're home or not.

Portable generators

A portable generator costs less up front, but someone has to wheel it out, fuel it, start it, and connect it. It covers fewer circuits, and gasoline storage through a long outage is its own problem.

The rule that applies to both

Never plug a generator into a wall outlet to feed the house. That's called backfeeding, and it can send power back out onto the utility lines, which is dangerous for line crews working to restore service. A transfer switch or an approved interlock with an inlet is the safe connection, for portable and standby alike.

How to choose

If you travel in winter, have a well or a sump pump you can't lose, or simply want it to happen without you, standby is the answer. If you want basic backup for a few circuits and you're home to run it, a portable unit with a proper inlet can work.