If you’re looking to purchase a whole house generator, figuring out what size is right for you is an important step. It’s crucial to ensure that you choose a generator size that will provide enough power to adequately power your home during an outage.
To figure out the generator wattage needed, you must first list all of the appliances and systems you want to power with your backup generator. Then, determine the starting and running wattages of each appliance or system.
Calculate Your Power Needs
When choosing the right size generator, you need to understand how much power your home uses. You can use an online generator sizing calculator or have an experienced electrician figure it out for you.
To figure out your wattage needs, start by listing all the appliances and electrical devices you want to run during an outage. You can also consult your appliance’s owner’s manual to get an idea of the wattage needed for each device.
You need to make sure that the total wattage you calculate doesn’t exceed the wattage output of your chosen generator. In addition, you need to take into account surge watts.
Surge watts are the extra wattage that some devices (like air conditioners and refrigerators) require at times when they’re cycling on. These extra watts can throw off your calculations, so it’s important to be aware of them.
Get an Estimate from a Contractor
Getting an estimate from a contractor is a great way to figure out the right size generator for your needs. This is particularly true if you have medical devices like respirators or home dialysis machines that need power in the event of a power outage.
To get the best results, you should make sure that you provide the generator professional with accurate information regarding your building’s size and wattage requirements. They will then use a square foot system to calculate the generator’s capacity.
It is also important to determine what wattage each appliance and system uses in order to figure out what size generator will be needed. Some appliances (like refrigerators and air conditioners) take up a large amount of wattage when they are on, so you should account for that in your calculations.
Do It on Your Own
A whole house generator is an investment in your safety and your home’s value. The best way to determine what type of system you need is to get an expert’s opinion. To get a thorough and reliable estimate, talk to a qualified heating and air conditioning company that offers free inspections. You’ll also want to consider whether or not you’re getting a standby unit versus an emergency backup generator. Lastly, you may want to calculate how much electricity you need on a regular basis to get the most accurate quote.
The most difficult part is figuring out how many watts you need for your particular power needs. To find the answer, you’ll need to list out all the devices and appliances you plan on leveraging your generator for power, and then figure out which ones will need the most. The watts needed to start up your refrigerator or freezer, for instance, could be as high as 700 watts, but you’ll need about a dozen times that much to run your sump pump or lights.
Get a Quote from Professional Heating & Air
The first step in figuring the right size generator for your needs is to create a list of every appliance and system you want to run during an outage. This includes things like an air conditioner, freezer, refrigerator, pressure pumps, lights, computers, security systems and medical equipment.
Once you have this list, determine what the starting and running wattage of each item is. You’ll need these numbers to figure out the wattage your generator will need to produce when power is restored.
Once you have these numbers, it’s easy to figure out which size generator you will need. You should choose a unit that can supply your home with a minimum of 5000 watts to cover your power needs. This size generator will ensure that your entire home’s appliances and systems are powered in the event of a power outage. If you have high-power appliances or need to power a large home, consider investing in a unit that can deliver more than 5000 watts.