Renting Compared to Buying a Commercial Generator
Benefits of a Portable Generator Rental
We’ve all been in this pickle – is it more cost-effective to rent or buy? When it comes to emergency power solutions, the choice is between investing in a new commercial generator installation and setting aside money for a portable generator rental during emergencies and power outages. If power outages are rare and mostly temporary events, then renting is the obvious choice. But what if a power outage lasts longer than a few hours? Can your business or building occupants withstand a disruption of many hours to their work and lives? Is safety a consideration? Will you lose product or merchandise? There are so many factors to consider, so we asked one of our Generator Experts to explore the choice between renting versus buying a generator in the video featured below:
When You Need a Large Generator Rental
We get a lot of emergency generator rental requests for construction projects, large outside events, and as an extra layer of protection when facilities with permanent standby generators are undergoing load bank testing. Not only is a rental more affordable in these situations, but it’s also less of a hassle because you don’t have to get AQMD to approve a permit for permanent installation. Your building or location may also be constrained by space limitations, in which case installing a backup generator isn’t an option, no matter how much money you have.
Tim Brownsworth, Duthie Power’s Rental Manager, further explains, “The most common uses of our rental generators would be the support of commercial buildings experiencing utility failures. These commercial buildings usually have refrigeration equipment, data center / IT equipment, or even your day-to-day office building just trying to keep the lights on. Our next most common use of our rental generators would be to support our customers with facilities equipped with emergency generators that are down for major repairs or even just to support a building’s emergency power system during basic maintenance and testing of the equipment.”
Commercial Generator Permits
Diesel gas emissions from commercial generators are highly regulated by state and local agencies, namely the California Air Resources Board (CARB) and the South Coast Air Quality Management District (AQMD). How do you know if your portable generator rental company is professional? Ask about their permits.
Randy Gross, Duthie Power’s Director of Operations, adds, “Duthie Power has been providing backup power to all of Southern California for 60 years, so we are well aware of the permit requirements from county to county. Our rental generators are run under CARB, which serves as a testament to our commitment to quality. We also educate our staff and stay on top of local Air Quality Management District regulation changes so we can keep ourselves and our customers’ units in compliance. On top of all that, our rental generator fleet is also serviced and maintained by a dedicated team of Rental Generator Technicians.”
How Long Can I Rent a Portable Generator?
The length of your generator rental depends on why you need the portable generator rental. As Tim explains, “We typically see more emergency rentals during the summer months. The hot weather tends to put a strain on the power grid, which can cause failures in infrastructure and leave customers without power for long periods. Also, sometimes we are providing backup power to critical services, like fire stations and telecom sites. The length of those rentals is a function of how long the sites are at risk from wildfire threats. I would say summertime is almost a guarantee to have a higher demand for temporary power.”
For non-life-threatening situations, you can rent a generator for a day, a week, a month, or however long you need beyond that. Tim adds, “We have some generators that are on rental for a year or more in one location. With very long-term rentals, our Rental Technicians will perform the necessary maintenance throughout the length of the rental so it runs safely and optimally.”
Prime Power versus Standby Power
What does “prime power” mean when it comes to portable generator rentals? Basically, prime power means the portable genset rental will be running all the time with variable loads. Standby power is for temporary applications during emergency power outages or for events that require short backup power. For example, you can run a standby generator as a backup for a building, hospital, or hotel so they are prepared for a potential power outage due to wildfires or other natural disasters.
For those Facility Managers and Building Engineers who abide by “safety first,” a portable generator rental during a major commercial generator repair is essential. After all, what happens if there’s a power outage while your emergency power supply system is offline for repairs? Having a “backup for the backup” will ensure your building is never offline.
For more information on temporary rental generators or service on an existing commercial generator, request a quote or give us a call at 1-800-899-3931.
