Housing thousands of fresh produce, seafood, meat, and dairy foods, supermarkets, grocery stores, and convenience stores require a lot of power on a daily basis.
Refrigerators and other temperature-regulating devices are constantly running, even when the store is closed. While the shop is open, it’s important for the lights, air conditioning, and other electrical devices to be operating smoothly.
The occurrences of power outages due to bad weather or an ageing power grid can wreak havoc on your day-to-day business operations. If you’re unprepared, you could incur damages in the millions.
Your store would have to shut down for a while – and you’ll potentially lose loyal customers. Apart from that, power outages can also cause all of your fresh and refrigerated products to go bad. In order to prevent such dire consequences, think of investing in a generator! It can solve all these problems in one go.
Why Do Stores Need a Generator?
During inclement weather conditions such as storms, blizzards, and hurricanes, power outages are frequent. This is also when many customers flock to their nearest store to stock up on food and other essentials.
It’s imperative that your shop stays open during this time. If your store is closed due to an outage, you’ll miss out on guaranteed business. Not only will you be missing out on sales, but you’ll also lose existing and potential customers.
On the other hand, if you decide to keep your store open when you’ve got no power, it could be a security threat. There will be no lighting, alarms, and security cameras, so there’s a high risk of theft.
It will also be a hazard to your employees and customers as they won’t be able to see where they’re walking. Apart from these logistical problems, your products will also suffer. More than half of the items in a grocery store or supermarket need temperature regulation. With no power for an indefinite time, your products are bound to get spoiled.
What’s more, some insurance policies don’t even cover the first 72 hours of an outage, so there’s no chance of compensation. Getting a generator for your store is therefore essential for avoiding these problems.
What are the Available Options?
There are three main kinds of generators; inverter, portable and standby. Inverter generators are suitable for things like cars and boats. Standby generators use automatic transfer switches to power up a device during power losses. These are used especially for powering emergency equipment such as life-support equipment and elevators.
Portable generators provide you with temporary electrical power – on occasions such as power outages. It can be powered by fuel or gas and provides enough power to keep refrigerators and televisions running. Portable generators are the ones you can use to keep a supermarket operating smoothly.
There are various kinds of portable generators. Industrial generators are heavy-duty machines. They come with all kinds of perks and have a hefty price tag too. They are reliable, efficient and offer long hours of uninterrupted service. You do not have to refuel it constantly. Some of them come with noise-suppressing mufflers, while others prevent harmful pollutants from being released.
A commercial-grade generator is also a great solution. If you have a smaller grocery store, this may be what you’re looking for. They’re not as complex as industrial generators and are not as expensive. They do exactly what they’re supposed to – provide a backup power supply.
Some commercial generators have good quality mufflers and are much more portable, coming with wheels to be transported easily from place to place.
Generators such as Diesel 3 phase generators are a great option for supermarkets and grocery stores. These machines generate power in three phases, each being 120 degrees apart. They never drop to zero due to the three alternating currents. These generators can power up anything from agricultural units to industrial units.
Benefits and Potential Drawbacks
Getting a generator for your store, especially a diesel generator, will bring you many benefits. These high-performance machines area fail-safe solution to power problems.
It will save you millions in potential losses occurring from outages. They have relatively low maintenance costs and are easy to maintain. They’re also versatile in nature and can be used for various purposes.
However, there are some drawbacks to generators. They tend to be noisy, so you’ll have to be careful when selecting one for your business. Noise complaints for retail stores that deal with customers directly will be an embarrassment. Make sure to place the generator a good distance away. A lot of generators come with soundproof gear, to reduce the noise they produce though.
Initial set up costs will also be high; generators are not cheap. You’ll require a few thousand dollars to buy one, but rest assured that it will be worth the investment. Plus, generators are heavy-duty machines, so they’re naturally huge and heavy. You have to have an accessible room for the generator.
Another major disadvantage is that generators cause a lot of emissions. If your top concern is environmental sustainability, it might be challenging to find a generator that suits your needs. However, you could go for a natural gas generator instead of a fuel-powered one.
Conclusion
With the increasing power outage risks for businesses and retail outlets, more and more shop owners are realizing the importance of buying a generator for their stores.
Some may still be a little skeptical about its importance, but the benefits of having a generator easily outweigh the drawbacks. If you’re a store owner, it’s high time you think of investing in a generator for your shop. It will save you from many losses in the future!
