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Demand Up For Whole House Generators

LAKE WALLENPAUPACK — One item many Sandy victims said they won’t do without the next time around is whole house generators. One local electrical con...

LAKE WALLENPAUPACK -- One item many Sandy victims said they won't do without the next time around is whole house generators.

One local electrical contractor said the demand for the automatic generators that can power your whole house has more than doubled, even right before Sandy hit.

It takes an entire day, some drilling, piping and cabling, but once it's installed, automatic whole house generators give storm victims peace of mind.

Homeowners, Francis and Chris Biviano, live in Wayne County. They were out of power for four days when super storm Sandy hit northeastern Pennsylvania.

Losing power at their home in Lake Wallenpaupack, was extra hard because of their age and health problems.

The couple said a smaller generator was used for a bit, but it became more of a pain than anything else.

"It was such a hassle, such a hassle! He's not well, I'm not well, and we're older, and it was the middle of the night and you're trying to undo the generator so nobody steals it, then you have to get up in the cold. Thank God I had a dog to keep me warm!" said Francis Biviano.

"This is the only way to do it, and if people said the cost of this, the cost of that, well you always find a couple of dollars to find a way to do it," said Chris Biviano.

Electrical contractor Ben Rinker said since Sandy hit, the demand was higher than it's ever been.

Rinker said on average his workers have been installing about two a day, and they have several more scheduled.

"Even a week before, the phone was ringing and people were looking to get them put in before the storm!" said Rinker.

Rinker said the automatic generators range anywhere from $3,000 to $8,000, but he said compared to the loss you could have without them, they'll pay for themselves in the long run.

"I have so many customers who say it paid for itself in two days based on the fact that they didn't lose food, they didn't flood their basements, their medical issues, like people on oxygen, things they depend on," said Rinker.

You can contact Ben Rinker by following this link.

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