In the near western suburbs of Chicago, most of the towns (Hinsdale, Clarendon Hills, Western Springs, LaGrange) have overhead utilities. That means that the utility service is provided by the beautiful wooden utility poles in everyone's back yard.  In addition to the stellar aesthetics, the overhead utilities are subject to outages. Typically, these outages are the result of storms, high winds, lightning strikes and downed trees....you get the idea.

Beyond the hassle of not having lights or possibly watching your food spoil, there is an increased risk of water penetration into the basements as sump pumps do not run when there is no electricity. And the sump pump back-up systems only run so long.

The best solution is a whole house generator. These are powered by natural gas (one of the few underground utilities). Generators can power anywhere from a few circuits to your whole house, dependent on its size. Typically, they test themselves once a week to ensure that they are running properly. All in, generators are the most fail safe way to protect your house from the ills of storms-particularly the nasty ones we get during the summer months.

If you have an interest in generators, do not call me. I have already told you everything I know. Call Chris Rimbos at Genesis Lighting. 630-986-3900. In addition to being a generator pro, Chris is an all-around good guy.