Why Electrician Businesses Should Offer Winter Generator Services

With the summer heat dying down, you may not have as many new electrician projects to take on. If you want or need an additional source of income, generator sales and service could do the trick.

Generators often prove critical during winter, providing emergency power during turbulent times. If you have experience with a client’s infrastructure, you’re already in a prime position to offer up generator services. Today we’ll go over some basics when dealing with generator sales and service.

Generator Sales – Having Options

Start with the generators themselves. Offering the product to customers helps give clients the whole package. We strongly recommend carrying a variety a generators (from portable to whole home backup systems) to your customers so they can find something comfortable within their budget and needs. Make sure to have demo models or mock ups/specifications on hand. This can help customers figure out a solution to best fit their specific needs. If you become a dealer yourself, you can drastically cut down on costs for both you and your client.

Here’s a few links to well-known generator companies:

• Generac - https://www.generac.com/resources-and-tools/become-a-dealer
  
• Kohler Power - https://kohlerpower.com/en/powerequipment/sales-service/become-a-dealer
  
• Cummins - https://www.cummins.com/partners/dealers
  
• Honeywell - http://www.honeywellgenerators.com/dealer-registration
  
• Briggs & Stratton - https://www.briggsandstratton.com/na/en_us/campaigns/power-dealer.html
  
• Generator Sales – Security & Safety

An unfortunate issue can arise during the need for emergency power: theft. Generators represent common targets for thieves due to their high value and ease of access. When it comes to the installation of generators, choose a location out of direct sight or in some sort of fenced-in location. You may also want to consider surveillance cameras (or fake cameras to use as a deterrent). Consider offering security solutions for customers purchasing smaller generators. 

Great options for portable generators:

• High quality bike locks
• Steel chains with quality padlocks
• Handle-reinforcement devices
• Motion-sensitive alarm systems

Another recommendation for both portable and whole home backup solutions? An enclosure system. This provides security to the device as well as protection from the elements. While enclosures are a great solution overall, they do come with concerns you must take into consideration. First and foremost, an enclosure needs good ventilation to allow a generator to run cool and vent the gasses generated. (This is also why you should never run one indoors. Gas build-up can be fatal.) The enclosure should also be water resistant as well as fireproof. A wet generator could cause shorting or electrocution. A good enclosure should protect from water from all sides, as well as prevent standing water from accumulating below the device. A fireproof enclosure ensures that if anything critical goes wrong, nearby structures will not sustain any collateral damage.

Generator Service

Post-installation care will help your customers get longevity out of their generators. You have the opportunity to further extend your services through regularly scheduled maintenance. Going the extra mile and tracking the age, warranty, and service schedule will help provide your customers quick response and efficient service to fix any issues that may arise.

If you need a tool to track customer generators, the electrician scheduling software Smart Service allows you to enter crucial data in-house as well as in the field to track equipment. Offering long-term solutions to customers provides you with recurring revenue and an easy choice for future projects. You may also run into customers wishing to service their devices themselves. It can be difficult for them to maintain a vast array of parts on hand for each model, so we recommend carrying regular maintenance parts that you can offer.

Keep these parts on hands for your clients:

• Oil
• Oil filters
• Air filters
• Battery and battery testers
• Coolant
• Spark plugs

Conclusion

Whether you service existing generators or want to expand out to sales and installation, providing your business with additional revenue gives you a great opportunity for growth. This blog includes a lot of other handy business advice for electricians (and other field service businesses), so make sure you visit us again soon!