Many of you have asked the Board of Directors about purchasing a portable generator for use at your condo unit at The Enclave at Oak Hill.  The Board has historically decided against these portable generators.

The primary reason for not allowing these portable generators in the past was for safety of the unit owner and of nearby unit residents.  Portable generators typically are powered by fossil fuels (gasoline, etc.) and as such present a hazard to life as a result of the fumes emitted.  They are also against the State Fire Code.

In light of the impacts on our community by Hurricane Sally recently, the Board has revisited this decision and recognizes the need for electricity by our residents in the aftermath of events such as Hurricane Sally.  Therefore, the Board has approved the use of electrical “inverters” in their units if they wish.  The only caveat to this approval is that NO FOSSIL FUEL POWERED GENERATORS CAN BE USED. Electrical inverters convert energy from an external source (typically Direct Current (DC)) to a storage medium (a “battery”) for later use as an electrical source (Alternating Current (AC)).  These inverters do not “generate” electricity on their own but instead use the energy stored in the “battery” to supply the electricity.  Some inverters can be recharged using typical wall outlets (AC), car “cigarette lighter” type outlets (DC), and some can even be recharged using solar power.  Inverters are commercially available in varying capacities (watt-hours – WH) and features.