Wisconsin Gas Co. program offers prepackaged 5 kW to 40 kW Generac gen-sets to homeowners; industrial units to come later

Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night nor utility shortfalls shall keep Milwaukee, Wis., residents from receiving electrical power. At least that's the idea behind Wisconsin Gas Co.'s Power Now! program, announced earlier this year. Through the program, Wisconsin Gas, the main natural gas utility for southeastern Wisconsin, homeowners will be able to purchase standby gen-sets to keep their electrical appliances operating in the event of a loss of utility power.

The program is one of a number of innovative solutions that have been developed in response to the ever-increasing demand for electricity, which has strained many utilities for the last few years and resulted in rolling brownouts during some peak usage time.

Manufactured under a private label agreement by Generac Power Systems, Waukesha, Wis., the permanently installed, prepackaged Power Now! generators are available in 5 kW, 8 kW, 10 kW, 15 kW, 20 kW, 25 kW, 35 kW and 40 kW outputs and resemble a central air conditioning unit in size.

"Our business is providing the sale, installation, maintenance and servicing of natural gas-powered emergency standby generators," said Richard Godfrey, director of new business development for Wisconsin Gas. "Right now, our primary target is the existing residential market. Our initial market has been to target homes of $300,000 or higher."

Generac's EPS-25-TS gen-set is at the larger end of the generators being offered by Wisconsin Gas. It is powered by a liquid-cooled, in-line, four-cylinder Generac MMC 4G15 engine rated 40 hp at 3600 rpm. The engine has a bore and stroke of 75.5 mm x 82 mm and an overall displacement of 1.5 L. The generator is rated 25 kW.

"When you start getting into the 25 kW unit and above, you're in a position to cover the total electrical load of the home," said Godfrey. "The 25 kW model could cover the well pump, sump pump, security system, furnace, humidifier, dish washer, refrigerator, freezer and a 4-ton central air conditioning system."

The smallest generator being offered is Generac's EPS-5-AC. It is powered by an air-cooled, OHV single-cylinder Generac GN-410 engine rated 13 hp at 3600 rpm. The generator is rated 5 kW.

"The 5kW unit would cover basic items like the sump pump, refrigerator, furnace and security system," Godfrey said. "With the 8 kW, add a well pump and some basic lighting."

The generator is directly connected to the existing gas supply and is hardwired to the home's electrical system by an electrician. According to Wisconsin Gas, a transfer switch automatically turns on the generator within 30 seconds of a power loss. When electric power from the local grid is restored, the transfer switch reconnects the home to utility power and shuts down the generator automatically. According to Godfrey, the units can also run on propane.

"The units are designed to be emergency power backup generators. They are not designed as primary power units," Godfrey noted. "Generac has assured us that these units could handle a two-week outage.

"The key would be to make sure the natural gas line is not interrupted and keep an eye on the oil. With how these units are constructed and their quality, anecdotally, they could probably run for a straight month without any problem."

Wisconsin Gas has big plans for its Power Now! program. The company hopes to move into the industrial gen-set market in 2000 with a 200 kW unit. "We have a container manufacturing company looking at us now," said Godfrey. "They've requested that we look at fitting a 200 kW unit for them.

"We are pursing that application on a pilot basis. We are bidding on the job. We have the resources to do one or two (200 kW units) here and there to get our feet wet."

The company would also like to expand the program geographically. Currently, the program is only offered within a 50-mile radius of Milwaukee because of the company's existing sales and service capabilities. "We looked at the different requirements by different municipalities and talked to Generac and members of Staff Electric, a recognized electrical contractor in the state of Wisconsin, as well as independent electrical engineers," Godfrey said. "We developed what we call Power Now! Electrical Standards. We wanted to produce a standard that would be consistent, high quality, safety-oriented and would give us the freedom to put these anywhere in the state of Wisconsin. We exceeded that goal and have gotten high marks from electrical engineers and the state of Wisconsin on our Power Now! electrical installation standards."

Power Now! gen-sets have been available since mid-March. As of late July, about 220 units had been sold. The generator systems range in price from about $6500 to $21,000, depending on the size. The purchase price includes site preparation, installation, gas piping, generator start-up and testing.