In South Eastern North Carolina, the question isn’t if you will lose power during hurricane season, but for how long. When the grid goes dark in Hampstead or Leland, the difference between a comfortable week and a miserable one often comes down to your backup power strategy.

For buyers and investors in New Hanover, Pender, Onslow, and Brunswick counties, the choice between a permanent whole-home generator and a portable unit involves more than just price—it’s about fuel logistics and zoning laws. Here is the insider reality.

The Fuel Supply Chain: Lessons from Florence

The biggest mistake newcomers make is assuming gasoline will be available. During Hurricane Florence, over 50% of gas stations in Wilmington ran dry or had mile-long lines.

Portable Reality: If you rely on a portable gas generator, you are tethered to a jerry can. You must store 20+ gallons of stabilized fuel or risk fighting the crowds when the pumps are down.

Propane Reality: A whole-home standby generator runs on your existing propane tank. Propane delivery trucks from local suppliers often resume schedules faster than gas stations can restock, and if your tank is sized correctly (see below), you may not need a refill for a week.

The "Interlock Kit" Middle Ground

A whole-home Generac or Kohler system can cost $12,000–$18,000 installed. If that destroys your ROI, ask your electrician about a Manual Transfer Switch or an Interlock Kit.

How it works: This allows you to plug a large portable generator directly into your breaker panel. You can power hard-wired essentials like your well pump (critical in Pender County) or your water heater, which you cannot do with extension cords.

The Code: While legal in most NC jurisdictions, this requires a permit. Do not DIY this; back-feeding electricity into the grid can kill linemen working to restore power.

The Zoning & CAMA Trap

Before you pour a concrete pad for a permanent generator in Wrightsville Beach or Oak Island, check your survey.

Setbacks: In New Hanover County, mechanical equipment generally must be at least 3 feet from the property line. In dense beach towns, you may not have the space.

CAMA & Impervious Surface: If you are oceanfront or soundfront, that 4x4 concrete pad counts against your impervious surface limit. We have seen CAMA permits denied because a generator pad pushed the lot coverage just 1% over the limit.

The "250-Gallon" Rule

If you go the whole-home route, size matters. A standard 120-gallon "fireplace" tank is insufficient.

The Math: A 22kW generator running A/C and lights burns roughly 2–3 gallons of propane per hour. A 120-gallon tank might last 48 hours. For a true storm-ready home, you need a 250-gallon buried tank minimum to survive a 5-day outage without panic.

Your Next Step

Power resilience increases property value, but only if installed legally and logically. You need a partner who knows which neighborhoods have natural gas, which require buried propane tanks, and where the setback lines are hidden.

At Aspyre Realty Group, we are experts in listening and communicating people's wants into homes that work for them. We help you navigate the logistics of coastal living so you are never left in the dark. Let’s connect to find a home that keeps you powered up.