Having a standby generator will give you the backup power that you need when an emergency hits and leaves you without electricity – perhaps for a long time. Each type of generator has features like inverters that will cope with a variety of power needs, and they come in a range of sizes. If you have a requirement to power your whole house in an emergency power outage, I have assumed that you will want to power at a minimum: a TV, fridge, computer, freezer, four lights, and a 2kW electric fireplace. That adds up to a power requirement of around 3,630 watts. These emergency generators like to operate at 50% of maximum load, so if you want to power more energy-hungry appliances, such as a microwave, washing machine, or medical equipment, you will need to choose a portable generator that delivers more than 6,000W to ensure you’ll have enough energy to run everything at once. Whether you’re new to shopping for an emergency generator or looking to upgrade what you currently have, there are several things to consider when choosing the right generator for your home and home office:
There are emissions-free, electric generator systems that can be used either inside or outdoors. You can check out our list of the best portable power stations here. Lowe’s has a handy wattage worksheet that provides average continuous run and starting wattage for tons of different devices and appliances. Keep in mind that everything that uses electricity will use a big surge of power on start-up, then level out to a much lower running output, so you’ll want to choose a generator that has both an adequate continuous output and starting wattage. To prolong the life of your standby generator, you’ll want to do regular engine maintenance twice a year: once in spring and once in the fall. Doing things like checking sparkplugs, changing oil, and replacing air filters will keep your standby generator running at optimal efficiency for much longer. Remember to never leave a running generator unattended and to never plug a standby generator directly into your house circuit without having a professional electrician install a manual power transfer switch first. Without the switch, you could burn your house down, get seriously injured, or be killed. An automatic start switch allows your generator to “sense” when the grid-provided electricity in your home cuts out. It will kick on, minimizing the time you’re without power. These switches are best for anyone who has in-home medical equipment, like ventilators or oxygen concentrators, and cannot lose power for any amount of time. Its 459cc air-cooled engine will deliver 9,000W power on gasoline and 7,250W power using propane. It uses 12,000W to start. It has an operating noise level of 76 dB. This model has carbon monoxide (CO) sense technology, which will stop the generator and alert you when CO is detected by the system. The generator comes with wheels and handle to maneuver it easily. The generator will run for up to 12 hours of operation at half load. It has an operating noise level of over 60 dB. This model has carbon monoxide (CO) sense technology, which will stop the generator and alert you when CO is detected by the system. The generator comes with wheels and a handle to maneuver it easily. Its gasoline tank has a capacity of 8.3 gallons. The generator will run for up to 8 hours of operation at half load on gasoline and 6 hours on propane It has an operating noise level of over 74 dB. The generator is CARB compliant, and it comes with wheels and a handle to maneuver it easily. Its 457cc engine will deliver 9,000W running power on gasoline and 7,250W power using propane. It uses 12,000W to start. It has an operating noise level of 74 dB, and it comes with wheels and a handle to maneuver it easily. Its gasoline tank has a capacity of 3.4 gallons. The generator will run for up to 20 hours of operation at half load. It has an operating noise level of over 57 dB. This model has carbon monoxide (CO) sense technology, which will stop the generator and alert you when CO is detected by the system. The generator has no wheels or pull along handle, but it does have two handles to lift it easily. Its 479cc air-cooled engine will deliver over 8,000W running power, using 13,000W to start. It has an operating noise level of 85 dB. This model has carbon monoxide (CO) sense technology, which will stop the generator and alert you when CO is detected by the system. The generator comes with four wheels to maneuver it easily. Its 680cc engine will deliver over 12,000W power, using 15,000W to start. This model has carbon monoxide (CO) sense technology, which will stop the generator and alert you when CO is detected by the system. The generator comes with wheels and handle to maneuver it easily. Its 479cc air-cooled engine will deliver over 12,000W running power, using up to 15,000W to start and at peak load. It will lower its idle speed when under no load situations to optimize its fuel efficiency and extend its run time. It has an operating noise level of 74 dB and is CARB compliant. Its 457cc engine will deliver over 9,500W running power, using up to 12,000W to start and at peak load on gasoline and 8,550W running and 10,800W peak load on Propane. It will lower its idle speed when under no load situations to optimize its fuel efficiency and extend its run time. The generator is CARB compliant, and it comes with wheels and a handle to maneuver it easily. Its 4420cc engine will deliver 7,000W running power on gasoline. It uses 8,750 Watts to start and has an operating noise level of 72 dB. The generator is CARB compliant, and it comes with wheels and a foldaway handle to maneuver it easily.
