Blog posts tagged with 'Used Generators'

It’s a fact that today we rely more on electricity than we have ever done before, and not only that, but we are going to be relying on it even more in the future as the world moves towards electric vehicles.

At the same time, it seems that climate change is also having an effect, with more violent storms in Scotland and the North-West having brought power outages recently - in some cases for two weeks!

So, it is important to keep the lights on. It is vital if you run a business which relies on electricity to power plant and keep machinery running. You cannot afford to have your factory come to a grinding halt because of power outages. OK, if you are watching TV at home and the power goes down, that can be annoying, but it is not like interrupting workflow. Even so, more people are looking to buy a new generator in the UK for their homes today.

If you are considering that you might buy a new generator in the UK, then you need to talk to us at Blades Power Generation: it is what we do. We have generators of all sizes, from those for small usage in the home to much larger models that can keep the power running in your factory and prevent the productivity losses that would otherwise occur.

You Need A Changeover Switch

If you have never installed generator before, you will need a changeover switch. This is a legal requirement as it prevents the mains power coming into contact with the generator when the mains come back on, and it also avoids the generator back feeding the mains, which would put the lives of electricity workers in danger.

There are two types of changeover switch – either a manual or automatic changeover switch. If you have a manual switch, it means that you have to switch from mains to generator – and back again – manually. In turn, this means that somebody has to be on the premises in order to do it.

An automatic changeover switch, as you might guess, does it automatically, which means that you will only be without power for a few seconds while the generator fires up. 

In today’s world we are almost totally dependent upon electricity – far more so than even 50 years ago. Back in the day, we didn’t have computers, but today it is almost impossible to run a business without one. Even a local convenience store which deals largely with cash may not need a laptop for the actual serving of customers, but you can bet that the owner has one for ordering stock and supplies, keeping track of stock levels, and so on. Electricity is also necessary to keep the fridges running. So, electricity is vital.

However, with the increase in the use of electricity comes the possibility of more power outages. This is increased further by climate change which seems to be bringing us more frequent and very heavy storms, which in turn can bring down power lines. So, if you run any sort of business, it makes sense to invest in a standby generator in order that you can keep going when the power doesn’t.

Used Generators

But you don’t have to invest in a brand new one if you only run a small business or need one for your home. You can buy used generators in the UK for considerably less than a new one. In fact, when you buy used generators in the UK it is just like buying a used car. Sure, if you can afford the very latest swanky Mercedes Benz or a Roller, then you might want to buy one. But a second-hand Nissan Juke will get you around just as well.

You can buy used generators in the UK for under £500 at Blades Power Generation. Of course, you then have to add in the cost of installation as well. And you will need a transfer switch. This is a legal requirement because it stops the mains power coming into contact with the generator, which would almost certainly burn out if this happened. It also stops the generator from back feeding the mains when it has failed, endangering the lives of electricity utility workers.

You can buy an automatic transfer switch (ATS) or a manual transfer switch. An automatic transfer switch does what it says on the tin, so when the power goes down it will fire up the generator and you will have power back on within seconds. However, a manual transfer switch costs a lot less than an ATS. It does mean, of course that you have to fire up the generator and then switch over. This is OK if someone is on the premises but could prove difficult if you need to keep the power running even though you are not there. You need to consider your options. 

The likelihood of power shortages and outages in the UK has increased considerably since the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Only a few days ago, MPs were warned that oil and gas could be rationed because of the crazy increase in prices. Experts have stated that household energy bills could increase to £3,000 a year – that is £60 a week!

The US, UK and EU have unveiled a growing list of sanctions, including on the import of Russian oil and gas. While only 3-4% of UK gas comes from Russia, plus 8% of our oil, Russia provides 40% of the EU’s gas and 25% of its’ oil, which means that energy price increases on the continent will have a major knock-on effect elsewhere. 

At a Treasury select committee in parliament on Monday March 14th, Dr Amrita Sen, director of research at Energy Aspects, told MPs that the rationing of diesel and gas could be on the horizon as a result of supply issues and growing instability in energy markets. That can have a serious effect on electricity supplies.

What’s The Answer?

So, what is the answer? What can you do to keep the lights on and the wheels turning if the power goes down?

Fortunately, there is an answer, and it is one which quite a lot of businesses have been investing in recently. Many businesses simply cannot operate without electricity, and for place such as hospitals it is vital that they keep the power going. So, the answer is a standby generator.

If you have a standby generator in your home or at your business premises and you team it with an automatic transfer switch, when the power goes down you will only be without electricity for a matter of seconds.

Now, a new standby generator can cost quite a bit of money, depending upon the amount of power that you need to produce. However, you don’t have to buy a new generator because you can also find used generators for sale in the UK.

Indeed, at Blades Power Generation, we always have a selection of used generators for sale in the UK because as businesses expand, they find that they need a generator with more capacity than the one that they currently have. So, they come to us for a bigger generator and then trade in the existing one. We are happy to do that because it is a profitable deal for us, and it also means that you can get a generator for your home or business for a lot less than buying a new one.