A home generator can mean the difference between being comfortable and trying to stay warm in a cold house when the heat’s been cut off or trying to stay cool in a house whose air conditioning has gone out due to a power outage. If a power outage is prolonged, it may mean the difference between being able to stay in your home at all or having to shelter elsewhere. But what are the power requirements if you want your generator to run your house for more than a day or so? What should you look for when it comes to a generator?
First Thing: Wattage
Starting watts is the wattage that it takes to have the generator start up in the first place. In some larger appliances, the starting wattage tends to be much higher than the running wattage or rated wattage, which is the wattage it takes to keep the appliance running over time. For example, a ceiling fan needs 1,200 watts to start up while it takes 800 running watts to keep the fan operating. A clothes dryer needs 6,800 starting watts and 5,400 watts to keep it running. Sometimes, an appliance’s starting wattage can be two or three times higher than its running wattage. The running wattage for a central 3-ton air conditioner can be 3,000, but its starting wattage is 7,500. Many appliances have stickers or come with owner’s manuals that show how much wattage is needed to power them.
Here Is What the Best 2000-Watt Generators Can Power
The third type of wattage to consider is surge wattage. This is the highest wattage that your generator is able to produce. If you need to run everything, such as lights, fridge, oven, HVAC system, and other devices from your generator, you’ll need to add up the running and starting wattage and add about 1,000 to 2,000 more watts to compensate for the surge wattage.
Generator Sizing for the Whole House
The wattage your appliances use ranges from 10 to 12 watts for your cellphone charger to over 25,000 watts for an electric furnace. You can calculate this yourself by adding up the wattages or having an electrician do it, but make sure that you buy a generator that can handle the wattage your home needs. One tip is to get a generator that doesn’t need to use more than 90% capacity in order to power your home.
As you don’t want to buy a generator that’s too small, you don’t want to buy one that is too big for the job, either. It’s rather like buying an air conditioner. An air conditioner that’s too small won’t cool down the house, and one that’s too big cycles on and off and wastes money. The problems that can arise with a generator that’s too small are even more serious than buying an AC that is too small for the space it needs to cool. A generator that can’t handle the wattage in your house will shut down and might damage your appliances in the process. A right-sized generator won’t cut off like this, will have a longer life span, and won’t need to be repaired as often. This is because it won’t have to overwork to run the electrical appliances and devices in your home.
Is a Home Standby Generator for You?
Home generators are a good investment if you live in a place where the power goes out pretty frequently and stays out for more than a few hours. You can also benefit from a generator if you live in an area that is often in the path of hurricanes or other violent weather that can knock out power for days or even weeks. Home standby generators can be connected to the circuit breaker in your home, and they come on immediately when there’s a power outage. That way, you won’t have to do without heat, hot water, or a sump pump that can remove water from your basement if there’s a storm. A home standby generator is also important if you rely on essential medical equipment that runs on electricity.
Generally, a 1,000- to 3,000-square-foot home can be serviced by a generator that provides 15,000 to 18,000 watts. A house that is 3,000 square feet or more can get by with a generator that provides 20,000 to 24,000 watts.
Types of Generators
There are several different types of generators for the home, and they can differ in the amount and type of power they can provide. For example, an inverter generator differs from a standard generator in that it uses three phases to produce electricity. In the first phase, it produces an alternating current, which is then turned into a direct current. Finally, the electricity is converted into an AC current. This helps the power remain stable and makes an inverter generator ideal for laptops and cellphones. It can also be portable.
Inverter Generator vs. Standard Generator: A Simple Guide
The standby generator is large, not portable, and its capacious fuel tank and fuel-efficient engine allow it to deliver the wattage needed to run the appliances in the entire house. Many now also come with Wi-Fi.
Generators can be powered by gasoline, but those powered by diesel are more efficient. Since diesel has a lower burning temperature than either gasoline or propane, there’s less stress put on the engine. This gives the generator a longer working life. Generators that use hydrogen as fuel are fairly new and can be hard to find, but they are fuel-efficient and can deliver higher wattage than other types of generators. They are excellent for homes that really need an uninterrupted supply of power. This includes homes where people are dependent on medical devices powered by electricity.
Figuring out the right generator wattage for your home depends on several factors, such as the type of generator and what you’ll need it for.
Check Out Some of the Bestselling Portable Generators Below
- 12500 Peak Watts, 9500 Running Watts (Gasoline); 11200 Peak Watts, 8500 Running Watts (Propane); 9500 Peak Watts, 7500 Running Watts (Natural Gas); Remote Start With Included Key Fob, Electric and Recoil Start; Up to 12 Hours of Run Time on a 6. 6 Gallon Fuel Tank With Fuel Gauge.Rated Speed (RPM) : 3600. THD : ≤ 23%
- Features Two GFCI 120V 5–20R Standard Household Receptacle, One Transfer Switch Ready 120V L14-30R, and One RV Ready 120/240V 14–50R; All Outlets Have Rubber Covers for Added Safety
- Powered by a Heavy Duty 457cc Westinghouse 4-Stroke OHV Engine Featuring a Long-Lasting Cast Iron Sleeve With Automatic Low Oil and Carbon Monoxide (CO) Shutdown, and Digital Hour Meter
- Plug-and-Play: Comes With a Remote Start Key Fob, 12V Battery Charger, Oil, and Oil Funnel, a Tool Kit, and a User’s Manual to Get You Started Right Out of the Box (Minimal Assembly Required)
- All Westinghouse Portable Generators are Functionally Tested in the Factory and May Contain Minimum Residual Oil and/or Fuel smell; EPA Compliant; Backed By 3-Year Limited Service, Labor, and Parts Coverage and Nationwide Customer Service Network
- Small But Powerfull - BailiBatt portable power station with lightweight 4.6 lbs, this portable generators for home use,camping and outdoor life.And this portable generator equipped with 69600mAh capacity, can charge many small devices,such as laptop,switch,phones,tablet,camera
- Stable & Efficient Outputs - This outdoor generators built-in two pure sine wave AC outlets to protect your devices (laptop) from damage.The portable generator with regulated 12V DC outputs, can provide a stable power output.300W output, can run 8 appliances simultaneously(the total of all output power < 300 watts)
- Green and Durable - This portable power station boasts a 257Wh grade-A battery pack, and this portable generator is excellent thermal stability and safety. So this portable power station support>1500 times of charge cycle. The portable generator for camping
- Multiple Safety Backup Power - This electric generator within clear LCD screen shows all operating status easily and timely. This solar powered generator built-in premium BMS system, can monitor voltage, current, and temperature, to protect the solar generator from damage
- Three Recharging Modes - The solar generator within MPPT controller, you can charge this solar powered generator via AC adapter/ car charge(12V/10A) / solar panel (40W/18V,NOT INCLUDED).Whenever you are, don't worry the low battery with this solar generator
- 3600 Running Watts and 4650 Peak Watts; Recoil Start; 4 Gallon Fuel Tank With Fuel Gauge; Up to 14 Hours of Run Time Per Tank
- Feature Two 5–20R 120V Household Duplex Receptacle, One RV-Ready TT-30R 30 Amp Receptacle, and One L5-30R 30 Amp Receptacle; All Outlets Have Rubber Covers for Added Safety
- Plug-and-Play: Comes With Oil, an Oil Funnel, a Tool Kit, and a User’s Manual to Get You Started Right Out of the Box (Minimal Assembly Required)
- Powered by a 212cc Westinghouse 4-Stroke OHV Engine Featuring a Long-Lasting Cast Iron Sleeve With Automatic Low Oil and Carbon Monoxide (CO) Shutdown
- All Westinghouse Portable Generators are Functionally Tested in the Factory and May Contain Minimum Residual Oil and/or Fuel Odor; EPA Compliant; Backed by 3-Year Limited Service, Labor, and Parts Coverage with Nationwide Customer Service Network