The generator is the sound of Lagos. Most homes and businesses have one, and even those with inverters and solar keep one for long outages and heavy loads.
Electricity in Lagos Solar and inverters
Choosing one
- Size: add up what it must run at once — lights, fans, fridge, pump, perhaps an air conditioner — and choose one comfortably above that. An overloaded generator fails early and can damage what it powers.
- Petrol or diesel: small generators run on petrol; larger ones, for a house or a building, usually on diesel, which lasts longer and costs more to buy.
- Brand and parts: buy a brand that mechanics know and that has parts in Lagos. A cheap generator with no parts is a short-lived one.
- A changeover switch, installed by a qualified electrician, so the generator and the grid can never feed the house at the same time.
Running costs
Fuel is the cost, and it follows the pump price, about ₦1,385 a litre for petrol. Run it only for what needs it, and switch heavy appliances off before it starts.
Servicing
Change the oil and the filters on the schedule in the manual, keep the spark plug and air filter clean, and use clean fuel from a reputable station. Most breakdowns are skipped servicing.
Safety
- Never run a generator indoors, in a garage, or near a window or door. Its exhaust carries carbon monoxide, which has no smell and kills people in their sleep in Lagos every year. Fit a carbon monoxide alarm.
- Refuel only when it is off and cool, and store fuel in proper containers away from the house.
- Keep it dry and on a firm base, with the exhaust pointing away from people.
Neighbours
Put the generator where its noise and fumes reach the neighbours least, and consider a soundproof enclosure. Many estates set hours when generators may run.