What Size Home Generator Should You Buy?

When determining the size of your whole home electric generator, there is a common misconception that the size of your home relates to the size of your generator. ‘A large house or business will require a more robust generator.’ However, if its purpose is to supply power, size alone is not necessarily the best deciding factor. Instead, the number of appliances, electronics, and circuits is the biggest factor.

Making a Choice

What power-outage experience would you prefer? It goes without saying that you want to be impacted as minimally as possible. If every single circuit in your house is powered, you would probably barely notice an outage! After receiving an alert, you would likely continue on with your day. While that sounds nice, having every circuit powered can add up over time. It can be redundant, or even completely unnecessary.

Generally, home and business owners first choose which circuits on their property are the most important. They do this by making a list of every appliance, room, or outlet they would like powered. After tracing these circuits back, one of our qualified electricians would connect those to the whole home generator. So first: Choose what you want powered!

Wattage and Wastage

Now it’s time to calculate wattage. If you’re unsure what to choose, first make a list of the essentials. When refrigerators, water heaters, sump pumps, and lights are connected, the most important aspects of your home have already been kept safe! Food won’t spoil, showers can remain hot, the basement won’t flood, and adequate lighting will keep your family safe. Putting these appliances on the essential list could prove a wise decision.
At New England Electrical, our professionals are trained to do these calculations for you. You just tell us what you’d like protected, and we’ll do the rest. However, if you’d like to run your own numbers, just make a list of the power being drawn from each appliance and device, add it up, and calculate the total. It’s that simple!

That being said, a warning: Refrigerators, sump pumps, and AC units have two types of power draws. One when turning on, and one when running. Go with the larger number and you’ll have a good idea of what wattage generator your property will need.

Final Tips

Generators can go from smaller 5,000-watt units all the way to hefty 14,000-watt and higher. The types of units within that range can be even more diverse. Each homeowner or business needs will be different, and two similarly sized homes may need different sized generators.

Call us now and let our experienced electricians assess your needs. We’ll make sure your home has the right certified Generac generator for your space. Whether larger or smaller, we are equipped to handle your power needs.