What Size Whole House Generator Do I Need

So, you're tired of being left in the nighttime during an outage. You're probably looking at your options for a whole-home generator so y'all're not stuck without power anymore, right?

To make up one's mind what size generator you need to power your whole business firm:

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

Nosotros'll walk yous through the process in more item below. Earlier we do that, let's look at how generators are sized.

Need an electrician to calculate what size generator your abode needs? Requite us a call at (800) 226-2636 or schedule an appointment online.

You can also cheque out our generator installation page to become an idea of what we offering.

How generators are sized

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

It's important to get the right size generator.

Why, you inquire? Well, if you get a generator that's…

Too small-scale, you lot'll overload the generator, or strength it to supply more power than it can handle. If this happens, the generator will either automatically turn off or overheat, which will fry not only the generator, but also your costly appliances.
Also big, you lot'll overpay for both the unit and the cost to operate it.

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

Summate what size generator you need in iii simple steps

To calculate what size generator you lot need to ability your whole home, follow these 3 steps:

Step 1: List out every appliance y'all want to power.

Pace 2: Make up one's mind the starting and running wattage of everything on your list. If you tin can't find these numbers on the appliance label, you tin can use this wattage estimation guide as a reference.

Note: Starting wattage (also known as "surge wattage") refers to the wattage an appliance needs at offset-up. Starting wattage is usually 2–3 times higher than its "running" wattage, or how many watts an appliance needs to run constantly.

Stride iii: Add the wattage together. Then, use this number to guide what size generator yous need.

Keep in mind that a DIY wattage estimate is but that: an estimate. To be on the rubber side, nosotros recommend using a wattage calculator or, fifty-fifty ameliorate, having a professional electrician summate the exact wattage you demand to help y'all find the right size generator.

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

Power just the essentials

If you want to power just the "essentials", your list might await something similar this:

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

Ability your whole home

If yous want to power only about everything in your domicile, your list would probably look more like this ane:

In this situation, you'd probably want at least a 35kW whole-home generator.

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

We'll transport an electrician to your Florida domicile to calculate the exact size generator yous demand. We serve Tampa Bay, Orlando, and SW Florida and have locations in Sarasota, Tampa, Dunedin, Orlando, and Naples.

Learn more most our services and generators we install.