Hot weather and rotating power outages make generators 'in high demand'

Household generators are being sought after by many people. Photo: TP

After careful consideration and calculation, Mr. Tran Tu Lan (Thanh Dong commune, Thanh Chuong district) had to sell 3 tons of dried rice for more than 20 million VND to buy a generator. This money was planned to be used to upgrade the kitchen before the rainy season. However, in the past few days, the continuous power outages have made it impossible for the whole family, from the elderly to the children, to sleep, so he had to use the money from selling rice to buy a generator.

“It’s too hot, the electricity goes out frequently, and when it does come back it’s weak, so even though I bought two rechargeable fans, they still can’t be used. It’s so hot, even adults can’t stand it, let alone children. Therefore, the whole family decided to buy a generator with a moderate capacity, enough to use 3 fans, 1 air conditioner and 1 refrigerator,” said Mr. Lan. After consulting with local electronics stores, he was advised to buy a 5 kW, soundproof, noise-proof, mini diesel generator for 18 million VND.

The generator market is very diverse in types and prices. Photo: TP

During the hottest days, the 6ha orange garden and the 2ha tea garden of Mr. Tran Dien Vi's family (Suong hamlet, Thanh Duc commune, Thanh Chuong) are dry and need to be watered regularly to avoid burning. However, the electricity company often announces power cuts, sometimes for 12-14 hours, so to save the oranges and tea, he has to buy 2 more diesel generators, used Japanese machines. Each machine costs 13-15 million VND.

“When there is a power outage, we have to use two generators to pump water for the oranges and tea. The orange trees are in the fruiting stage so they need water. On average, the fuel cost to run the two generators costs about 500,000 VND per day,” said Mr. Tran Dien Vi.

Large capacity industrial generators are used at a large-scale chicken farm. Photo: TP

Rotating power outages force large-scale chicken farms to install additional generator systems to operate cooling systems and maintain stable temperatures in the barns.

Mr. Nguyen Huu Thang, owner of a black-chicken egg farm in Nghi Van commune (Nghi Loc) said: “To maintain the temperature of the coop at 23-25 ​​degrees Celsius for nearly 50,000 laying hens, I have to buy a large-capacity industrial generator for 350 million VND. On average, every hour, if all the cooling equipment, fans, water, etc. are running, it consumes 8-10 liters of oil. Although it is expensive, it is acceptable because if they do not operate, the chickens will get sick and die.”

Not only households, livestock farms, and growers, but also service businesses such as food and beverage businesses, etc. must equip generators to serve customers, preserve food and drinks with refrigerators, freezers, etc. People's demand is increasing, so the generator market is also very vibrant.

The high demand makes the generator market bustling. Photo: TP

Mr. Nguyen Cuong, owner of an electronics store in Hanh Lam commune (Thanh Chuong) said: “Previously, this item was not available in the store because of its high price, few people asked to buy it, only those who ordered it dared to buy it. However, this year's hot season has seen frequent power outages, so many people are looking to buy it. It is mainly a small capacity machine from 2-5 kW for household use. As for the large capacity machines, used to pump water for tea and orange trees, we have to order in advance.”

At a dealer specializing in selling generators on Mai Hac De Street (Vinh City) with a variety of types, models, and prices, in the past 2 weeks, the number of people coming to buy and rent generators has increased dramatically. If in the past, customers were mainly agencies and units, now they are mainly beverage stores and households.

Many dealers supplying generators are temporarily out of stock. Photo: TP

"In recent days, the number of customers buying generators has increased, causing a local shortage. Old and used generators are no longer available; new generators are also very popular. Some models are no longer available, so many customers have to make a deposit in advance and wait for the goods to arrive before picking them up," said Mr. Tran Dang Khoa, a store representative.

Currently, on the market there are about dozens of types of generators manufactured from many countries such as the US, Japan, Canada, Malaysia... with prices ranging from several million to several hundred million VND. The best-selling type of generator for home use is from Honda with a capacity of 2-2.5 kW - 5kW, voltage 220V, price ranging from 10-15 million VND.

According to a survey, the current trend is that consumers choose imported generators from Japan instead of Chinese generators because they consume less fuel and run more smoothly and quietly.

Generator stores are constantly importing new shipments to meet customer demand. Photo: CSCC

As for the machines with large capacity, costing up to hundreds of millions of VND, most of them are used for rent. The rental price depends on the usage needs, the long or short rental period, and the high or low capacity of the machine. According to the price list of a company specializing in renting generators on Nguyen Viet Xuan Street (Vinh City), the rental price ranges from 500,000 - 10 million VND/machine/day (for customers renting machines for less than 10 days), if renting for a long time, the price will be lower.