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."