New Bern and Florence
New Bern sits where the Trent River meets the Neuse, and that is what made Florence so hard on the town in September 2018. Wind pushed a storm surge of about 10 feet up the Neuse and into riverfront streets. More than 360 people had been rescued from rising water by the next morning, and trees and power lines came down across the city. Residents described streets that went from dry to flooded in minutes.
Not every storm is a Florence. Tropical storms, nor'easters and summer thunderstorms still take the power out across Craven County, and an outage in late-summer heat, with the humidity off the rivers, gets miserable quickly. A standby generator starts on its own seconds after the power drops and keeps the house running until the lines are fixed.
Placing a generator near the water
Many New Bern homes are close to the rivers or their creeks, so the first question at a site visit is often where the generator can safely sit. The installer works through:
- Your flood zone. Whether the lot is in a mapped flood or surge zone, and what height the local floodplain rules require.
- Pad height. In low-lying yards, the generator and its connections go on a raised pad or platform above the expected water.
- The transfer switch and wiring. Connections near the meter are kept out of the likely water line.
- The fuel supply. A propane tank in a flood-prone yard has to be anchored so it can't float, and the gas route has to hold up too.
Getting this right is what lets the generator come back on after a storm instead of becoming one more thing to replace. See propane and natural gas generators.
City power since 1902
The City of New Bern has run its own electric utility since 1902, and it buys its power through the North Carolina Eastern Municipal Power Agency. Depending on where you live, your electricity comes from the city, Duke Energy Progress or an electric co-op. The generator works the same with any of them: the automatic transfer switch disconnects your house from the grid before the generator connects, so no power flows back onto lines crews are repairing.
Natural gas reaches parts of New Bern; out in the county, most homes use propane. The installer confirms the fuel options at your address during the site visit.
What New Bern homeowners want powered
- Central air or heat pumps through late-summer outages
- Sump pumps in low-lying yards near the rivers and creeks
- Refrigerators and chest freezers full of fish and garden produce
- Well pumps outside the city water system
- Oxygen concentrators and other medical equipment, especially for retirees in the waterfront communities
- Boat lifts, docks and shop power on waterfront lots
Cover the whole house or a set of essential circuits; the installer runs a load calculation and recommends a size. More on whole house generators, Generac installation and what a whole house generator costs.
Communities we serve around New Bern
New Bern, Trent Woods, River Bend, James City, Bridgeton, Fairfield Harbour, Vanceboro, Cove City, Pollocksville and Brices Creek, along US 70, US 17, NC 43 and NC 55. Havelock has its own page. We also handle generator repair and maintenance and transfer switches for portable generators here.
Common questions
Who issues the generator permit in New Bern?
Inside the city limits and its extraterritorial jurisdiction, the City of New Bern's Development Services Inspections division issues electrical and mechanical permits. Outside that area, Craven County does. The installer pulls the permits and schedules the inspections.
My house is near the river. Can I still have a generator?
Usually yes. The installer checks your flood zone and places the unit at a height and location that meet local floodplain requirements.
Does a generator work with City of New Bern electric service?
Yes. The transfer switch connects the same way regardless of provider and keeps the generator from feeding power back onto the city's lines.