What Size Generator Do I Need For My House

Then, yous're tired of being left in the dark during an outage. Y'all're probably looking at your options for a whole-dwelling house generator then you're not stuck without power anymore, correct?

To determine what size generator you need to power your whole house:

Figure out the starting wattage (i.east. "surge" wattage) of the appliances and fixtures you want to power.
Find a generator powerful enough to exceed the combined wattage of everything that needs electricity.

Nosotros'll walk you through the process in more than detail below. Earlier we do that, let'south look at how generators are sized.

Need an electrician to summate what size generator your home needs? Give us a phone call at (800) 226-2636 or schedule an appointment online.

You can also check out our generator installation folio to get an idea of what we offer.

How generators are sized

Generators are sized based on their electrical output, not their physical dimensions. They're measured in watts (Due west) or kilowatts (kW), both of which are a measurement of electricity (1kW = one,000W).

It'due south important to get the right size generator.

Why, you inquire? Well, if you become a generator that'southward…

Too small, y'all'll overload the generator, or force it to supply more power than information technology can handle. If this happens, the generator volition either automatically turn off or overheat, which will fry not just the generator, but besides your costly appliances.
Besides large, you'll overpay for both the unit and the cost to operate it.

That being said, let's look at how you can calculate what size generator your home needs.

Calculate what size generator yous need in 3 simple steps

To calculate what size generator you need to power your whole abode, follow these 3 steps:

Step i: Listing out every appliance you desire to power.

Step 2: Make up one's mind the starting and running wattage of everything on your listing. If y'all can't discover these numbers on the appliance characterization, y'all can employ this wattage estimation guide as a reference.

Notation: Starting wattage (also known equally "surge wattage") refers to the wattage an appliance needs at start-up. Starting wattage is unremarkably 2–3 times higher than its "running" wattage, or how many watts an apparatus needs to run constantly.

Step three: Add the wattage together. Then, use this number to guide what size generator you need.

Keep in heed that a DIY wattage estimate is only that: an estimate. To be on the condom side, nosotros recommend using a wattage estimator or, even better, having a professional electrician calculate the verbal wattage you need to help you notice the correct size generator.

If you're up for trying it yourself though, let's look at a couple examples.

Power just the essentials

If y'all want to power simply the "essentials", your list might expect something like this:

In this case, you'd need at least a 25kW generator, since the starting wattage is 24,100W.

Power your whole dwelling

If you desire to power merely near everything in your home, your list would probably look more like this one:

In this situation, y'all'd probably want at least a 35kW whole-dwelling house generator.

Need a pro to help you find the correct size generator?

We'll send an electrician to your Florida home to calculate the verbal size generator you need. We serve Tampa Bay, Orlando, and SW Florida and have locations in Sarasota, Tampa, Dunedin, Orlando, and Naples.

Acquire more well-nigh our services and generators nosotros install.