My stepdaughter, who lives near Chicago, had to lend her portable generator to a neighbor so he could keep his sump pump running during a power outage; he has one of his own, but he'd already lent it to his sister for the same reason the day before. It would probably be a really good idea for him (and his sister) to get a stand-by generator for such emergencies, which seem to becoming a lot more common. Heck, I'm thinking about it, even though my house is on a hillside and has a daylight basement. No sump pump, but going without power is a pain. (A natural-gas generator might save my sanity; the thought of my husband without TV for a day or two is almost enough to provoke an anxiety attack right now!)

I'm thinking that, like a whole-house surge protector, a stand-by generator would be a terrific upgrade for a new house. As a builder, have you ever installed a back-up generator for a new home? Or, for that matter, as a retrofit? Have you seen any interest in generators from customers?

I'm sure going to look into it. We're in a terrible drought right now, but you know how it is: When the pendulum finally swings, we'll probably get weeks of thunderstorms, too.