{"id":903,"date":"2023-05-22T11:00:00","date_gmt":"2023-05-22T15:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.schererelectric.com\/blog\/?p=903"},"modified":"2023-05-30T07:19:13","modified_gmt":"2023-05-30T11:19:13","slug":"how-powerful-a-whole-house-generator-do-i-need","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.schererelectric.com\/blog\/electrical\/how-powerful-a-whole-house-generator-do-i-need\/","title":{"rendered":"How Powerful a Whole-House Generator Do I Need?"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\"generator-receiving-service\"<\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

We install whole-house generators in Lancaster, NY<\/a> and throughout Western New York, and we\u2019ve found that they are one of the most useful upgrades people can make to their homes. Portable generators simply don\u2019t have the power, convenience, reliability, or safety that comes with installing a whole-house generator wired directly into a home\u2019s electrical system. With an automatic generator, the benefits are even greater, since the generator will activate automatically when there\u2019s a power outage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But once a homeowner decides on getting a standby generator, the next question they have is \u201cHow powerful a generator do I need?\u201d Let\u2019s look into that\u2014and remember that you can always rely on our top-notch team to help you find out the ideal generator to install for your house.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

How Generator Power Is Measured<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The first fact you need to know about generator power is how it\u2019s measured. It\u2019s not small, medium, or large! The power or \u201csize\u201d of a generator is measured in watts. The watts you\u2019ll see listed on a generator are its running watts<\/em>, which are different from the starting watts<\/em> (a.k.a. surge watts<\/em>), which are the extra watts needed for two to three seconds to start appliances that operate using motors. For the most part, you\u2019ll concern yourself with the running watts, as the starting watts for generators are sized to be commensurate with the running watts. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The running watts of a generator can range widely. Smaller whole-house generators will have under 5,000 watts. A 10,000-watt generator is considered to be commercial or industrial in size.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What Do You Want to Power With Your Generator?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

You may not necessarily need to have your entire house powered through a black out. Make a list of all the essential appliances you want to operate during a loss of power, such as the refrigerator, some of the lights, and the HVAC system. \u201cAll of them\u201d is also a reasonable request! It depends on your household and what will help your family best through an extended power loss.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Calculate Total Wattage from Devices<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

This is a two-step process. First, add up all the wattage from the devices you want to run. Then find out which device has the highest starting wattage requirements, and add that to the total. This will give you a general idea of the wattage requirements, both running wattage and starting wattage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ballpark for the Whole House<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

If you\u2019re looking to power your entire house, you\u2019ll probably end up with a generator that\u2019s between 5,000 and 7,500 running watts. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Consult With the Professionals<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The above guidelines are all effective for getting an estimate for a generator, which will help you with getting a sense of the cost for the installation. However, you will need professional installers to help you make the final decision. They can do a more accurate assessment of your home\u2019s electrical demands as well as factors you might overlook (seasonal conditions, your current electrical system, etc.). They\u2019ll also make sure you don\u2019t get a generator that\u2019s too<\/em> powerful, which can be a disaster.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Scherer Electric Is Western New York\u2019s Favorite Electrician! <\/strong>Rely on us to help you find the ideal whole-house generator.<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Once a homeowner decides on getting a standby generator, the next question they have is \u201cHow powerful a generator do I need?\u201d <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[87],"tags":[128,105],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.schererelectric.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/903"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.schererelectric.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.schererelectric.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.schererelectric.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.schererelectric.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=903"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.schererelectric.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/903\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":905,"href":"https:\/\/www.schererelectric.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/903\/revisions\/905"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.schererelectric.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=903"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.schererelectric.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=903"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.schererelectric.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=903"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}