When the power goes out at your home, having a whole-home generator makes a difference between a major and minor disruption to your day. Choosing the right generator isn’t just about picking the biggest unit that you can comfortably afford. Rather, proper sizing is about understanding what you need to power and choosing the right generator for your needs.
Start With Your Priorities
One of the biggest mistakes that a lot of homeowners make is assuming that generator size should be based on the size of their home. However, the ideal generator size is determined by electrical demand, not square footage. Before you decide what type of fuel you want or how many watts your generator needs to produce, you first must decide what level of backup power you actually want.
There are two different approaches you can take when it comes to generator sizing. The first is to power essential home features. This will power things like your refrigerator, freezer, sump pump, medical equipment, and HVAC system. This option is more affordable for most homeowners because it requires a smaller generator.
The second option is to go with a whole-home backup generator that can power your entire home. This includes everything from your lighting and washing machine to your kitchen appliances and water heater. Because it’s powering so many items, it requires a significantly larger generator.
Understanding Electrical Load
Every electrical circuit and appliance in your home uses a certain amount of electricity, which is measured in watts. You need to understand running watts and starting watts, as both are necessary to determine the appropriate generator size to meet your needs. Running watts are the continuous power required by a particular appliance. For example, a sump pump typically requires 800-1,500 watts, while an electric water heater may require 4,000-5,500 watts.
Starting wattage, also known as a surge load, is a short burst of extra power that an appliance needs to start up. This is often significantly higher than the appliance’s running wattage. For example, your air conditioner can spike dramatically when the compressor kicks on. Your refrigerator may need 2 to 3 times its running wattage to start up.
One of the biggest mistakes homeowners make when it comes to properly sizing their generator is that they forget about startup wattage. Your standby generator needs to handle both your continuous load and surge demand simultaneously.
Load Management
One of the best ways to help deal with needing a lot of wattage for your various appliances is through load management. Load management helps your generator prioritize essential systems. It cycles high-demand appliances on and off while preventing overload without requiring an oversized generator for your home.
Instead of powering everything all at once, load management allows your generator to temporarily shut off your water heater when your air conditioner is running at its peak capacity. This allows a smaller generator to support more functionality for your home. Load management can be especially helpful for homes with electric HVAC systems, water heaters, and those trying to balance both cost and performance. If you don’t have load management properly configured, you can overspend on an unnecessarily large generator.
Essentials vs. Whole-Home Comfort
Understanding what you truly need during a power outage is critical when it comes to proper generator sizing. If you’re just looking for basic survival and protection, you want a generator that can supply power to your essential systems. These include things like your refrigerator for food safety, your sump pump for flood management, and medical devices like your CPAP machine. A generator that’s appropriately sized for running these essential systems keeps your home safe and functional during a power outage.
If you’re looking to continue your life as if there were no interruption of power at all, then you’ll need a much larger generator. These larger systems are designed to maintain normal living conditions by powering things like your hot water, laundry machine, lighting, kitchen appliances, and so forth. Because this full-home comfort requires significantly more power, you want to ensure professional planning to optimize energy usage.
Load Assessment
The most important step when it comes to sizing a whole-home generator is load assessment. This needs to be done by a professional who understands all the electrical appliances in your home, including the running and starting wattages. They can help you determine which systems are essential and which are optional, and prevent oversizing or undersizing your new generator.
Electrical Panel Evaluation
Your electrical panel plays a huge role in generator compatibility. Some key factors our electricians consider include your panel size, available breaker space, compatibility with a transfer switch, and your existing electrical load. If your electrical panel is outdated or undersized, you may need to upgrade it to accommodate a new standby generator. Our electricians will determine how to effectively distribute the power during an outage to ensure even power delivery and no unnecessary strain on your generator.
Transfer Switch Selection
A transfer switch is the device that connects your generator to your home’s electrical system. You can either have a manual or an automatic transfer switch. Manual transfer switches require you to manually activate your standby generator when power goes out. These are a more affordable option and best when you’re using a partial-home backup system.
Automatic transfer switches are great when it comes to making your standby generator as effortless as possible. It automatically detects when a power outage occurs and starts your generator instantly. This transfers the load without your intervention. This is ideal for standby generators, as they provide seamless backup power during storms and emergencies.
Fuel Type
Generators can run on three different types of fuel. These include natural gas, propane, and diesel. Both natural gas and propane are popular options for homeowners with whole-home generators. Natural gas provides a continuous fuel supply because it’s directly connected to your utility line, while both propane and diesel require an on-site storage tank.
Site Requirements
Where your generator gets placed also has a big impact on its performance. Some important factors to consider include ventilation requirements, local building codes, flood risk, noise restrictions, and the distance from your home. If your new generator isn’t properly placed, it can create safety hazards and even violate code requirements in your area.
One of our professional installers will evaluate your property to ensure there’s space for a concrete pad and proper ventilation. They’ll ensure that it has proper clearance from windows and doors and is accessible for generator maintenance. In fact, it’s always advisable to consult a professional electrician when it comes to getting a whole-home generator for your property. They can ensure proper sizing, appropriate installation, and placement for optimal system performance.
Reliable Whole-Home Generator Services
Davis & Green offers reliable standby generator services for Richmond, VA and the surrounding areas. We can also assist with all of your electrical, plumbing, and HVAC needs.
Contact us today to schedule an evaluation with one of our Richmond electricians.
