Generator sales surge with longer blackouts

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    KATHMANDU, JAN 22 –

    GENERATORDemand for generators has shot up with load-shedding hours increasing by leaps and bounds. Traders said that people were using generators to provide backup power for private homes, banks, schools, colleges, hospitals, factories, telecommunication towers and media houses. According to them, the winter season accounts more than 70 percent of their total annual sales.

    Ashok Panta, sales manager of MAW Engineering, authorised distributor of Yamaha and Greaves generators, said that longer power outages had contributed to the rise in sales of power generators. “Due to the 12-hour load-shedding, almost all the offices and also many households are turning to generators for power backup,” he said.

    Panta said that noise-free and portable generators were also becoming popular among households. “Generators used to be noisy, smelly and smoky until a few years ago, but now they have become less noisy,” he said.

    MAW offers Yamaha generators with capacities of 0.7 KVA to 21 KVA for Rs 58,000 to Rs 1.5 million. Greaves generators of 10 KVA to 500 KVA capacities are priced between Rs 450,000 to Rs 5 million.

    Sumeet Agrawal, business development director at Techno Trade, the authorised distributor of Avtec Effica generators in the domestic market, said that sales had almost doubled since November last year.

    “This is peak time for selling generators as power outages have gone up,” Agrawal said. “If we analyse the overall sales over a year, 70 percent of the total sales happen in the winter season.”

    The company sells a wide range of generator sets with capacities ranging from 10 KVA to 125 KVA and priced between Rs 390,000 to Rs 12.5 million. According to him, most of the orders come from hotels, offices, banks and apartment buildings.

    Bamjan Karki, director of the power product division at Syakar Trading, the authorised distributor of Honda generators in Nepal, said that portable generators were becoming increasingly popular among the general public. “People who are going on treks and picnics come to buy inverter type and lightweight portable generators,” Karki said.

    Many of the generator brands available in the market are powered by diesel, but generators which run on petrol are also becoming popular among households.

    “Petrol generators with a starting capacity of 1 KVA are basically suited for home use.” said Binod Bhattarai, showroom in-charge of BS Trade International which distributes Mahindra generators. “Prices are lower and they are smaller in size. Prices start at Rs 30,000.”

    Source : The Kathmandu Post