Jeff Padilla of Kingsland was on the OREMC website looking at billing options earlier this year, when he noticed the slider promoting the home generator program offered in partnership with GRESCO. When he and his wife built their house back in 2007, it was wired for a generator, but at the time was not included in their budget.

“I grew up in Florida and my wife is from the south, so we’ve lived through hurricanes before,” Jeff noted. “I did end up purchasing a 15-watt construction grade, portable Generac generator that we’ve used over the years during outages and storms. But I have to keep seven or eight gas cans in the garage. After seeing the ad for the whole house generator, I talked to my wife, and we agreed it was time to pursue a more permanent option. I am close to retirement and don’t want to do the heavy lifting anymore.”

Back in July, Jeff made the call to GRESCO to get the ball rolling. Within days GRESCO Field Service Technician Walt Warren was meeting with him to discuss generator sizing and location options, given he already had propane coming to the house. From call to install was two weeks for his new 22 kW whole house generator. The gas company got their part hooked up right after TS Debby blew through, and his new generator got a test run following a brief outage from a summer thunderstorm.

“It runs everything . . .lights, appliances, air conditioning—have to have air conditioning,” insists Jeff. “Once the power goes out there is about a 15 second delay and the generator kicks on automatically. And there is no indication that it has turned off once the power comes back on. I have to look and listen out my window to tell whether or not it is still running. With the 120-gallon gas tank, I can run my whole house up to four continuous days.”

Comfort and convenience were the driving forces behind Jeff’s decision to install the backup generator. Generally speaking, they shelter in-place when major storms come through. Jeff noted that working with Angela at GRESCO was very efficient. She helped them secure financing, so they have an 18-month loan with zero percent financing. She also offered surge protection from a lightning strike. Jeff said, “We’ve already had one lightning strike in the yard, and you don’t think it will strike twice, but I wasn’t taking any chances.”

Combined with the warranty program and service plans, Jeff couldn’t be happier with his choice to work with GRESCO through OREMC to purchase his new Generac generator. The ease in which the process moved from call to install was reinforced as several of his coworkers were also installing generators—either themselves or through other vendors— at the same time he was. “I definitely had the better experience and got the better deal,” he said.

GRESCO’s Renewable Technology Specialist Dylan Buzbee was pleased with how seamless the process worked from inquiry to installation for Jeff, and noted his unique perspective given what he heard about his coworker’s experiences.  Buzbee explains “The partnership between GRESCO, OREMC and Generac is what really makes our program special because of the pricing and service options available to OREMC members.”

OREMC’s Director of Communications & Marketing Michele Hutchins agrees, “We were excited to introduce the home backup generator program earlier this year and are thrilled with the member response and satisfaction working with everyone at GRESCO. A generator program was something our members indicated they were interested in as a result of our 2023 member survey. Now we offer that value-added service where one call does it all, and everyone works together to ensure quality, safety and peace of mind.”

You can learn more about OREMC’s home backup generator program featuring Generac generators and offered in partnership with GRESCO online at oremc.com/generator-program or call 478-315-0817.

Pictured: OREMC Member Jeff Padilla talks with GRESCO's Dylan Buzbee about his generator installation.