We don’t often think about our electricity until it’s no longer there. Flipping on a light switch or grabbing food from the refrigerator is so normal that we barely notice how many things in our homes run on electric power. But when that power goes out you can be sure it’ll catch your attention.
For most people, a short electrical outage is just an inconvenience. But some situations can turn that inconvenience into a serious problem. When you’re running a business, you might lose work because you can’t power your equipment. If you lose power when the weather is extremely cold or hot, you might become ill without heat or air conditioning to regulate the temperature. Or if the power stays out for longer than just a few hours you could have hundreds of dollars worth of food spoil in your freezer.
The right backup power generator solves problems like these. If you get one before a power outage cripples your home or business it can make a huge difference in terms of time and money lost. It might even help keep you safe. And you’ll want to start shopping for a generator before you need one. Now is the time to decide how much power you’ll need and what type of generator you want to power your home or business through the next outage. It’s much better to take your time and do some research to find the right generator for you than to rush out and buy one at the last minute.
How Much Power?
First off, you need to decide how much power you need. Different size generators supply different amounts of power. If you just want to power a few appliances like your refrigerator, sump pump, and a furnace fan then a mid-size generator can work. But if you want to power multiple rooms in your home, you’ll need a more powerful generator.
When you’re shopping for generators you’ll notice they have two power ratings. Each generator will tell you its continuous and its maximum/surge power rating. The continuous power rating lets you know how many watts or kilowatts the generator is can continuously supply without overloading. The maximum or surge power only lasts a few seconds, and it covers the extra power motors pull when they first start.
You might be tempted to buy a larger generator just to make sure you have enough power. This isn’t usually the best idea. To quote Consumer Reports test engineer Dave Trezza, “Buy the smallest generator that will meet your power needs. That will minimize the amount of fuel you need to keep on hand to run it.” Not over-buying a generator with more power than you need will also help you keep costs down.
What Can They Power?
To calculate the minimum wattage for your generator, make a list of everything you want to power during an outage. Then write down the wattage for each item. This information should be on a sticker inside the door or on the back of each appliance. If you can’t find the exact information you’ll be able to find estimates online. For some appliances, like a refrigerator or sump pump, you’ll find information on both their running watts and starting watts. For others, like microwaves and laptops, the number is the same.
Add up all the wattage requirements then multiply by 1.5 to make certain the generator can cover the extra power appliances pull when they first start up. That total is the minimum wattage you’ll want to look for. Even though we encourage you to calculate your wattage requirement for yourself, we can give you a rough idea of what items some of the different sizes of generator can power.
- Compact generators or recreational inverters (up to 2,000 watts) can typically power a refrigerator (700W), laptop (200W), 5-10 lights (250W), smartphone charger (20W), and home security system (100W).
- Midsize inverters (up to 3,500 watts) can power everything the compact ones can, in addition to ONE of the following: 10K BTU air conditioner (1,000W), toaster oven (1,200W), hairdryer (1,200W), washing machine (1,200W), space heater (1,500W), or coffee maker (1,000W).
- Larger portable generators (up to 7,500 watts) let you power more equipment in addition to the ones we already discussed such as a well pump (1,250W), sump pump (900W), and gas or propane furnace (800W). It also gives you the option of supplying power to one higher wattage appliance like the 8-inch burner on an electric range (2,000W) or a dishwasher (1,500W).
- Home standby generators (up to 20,000) watts can pretty much power anything you have in your hoouse.
Portable or Standby?
There are two main types of generators for backup power: portable and standby.
Portable models are typically powered by gasoline. They come in a wide range of wattages, from small camping models to generators large enough to power major appliances. They’re great for supplying backup power to homes and businesses in case of occasional power outages. One way to connect them is by running extension cords from the generator to your major appliances. If you do that, make sure you’re using heavy-duty cords rated for the current they’ll be carrying. Always use portable generators outside and position them at least 20 feet away from your house.
You can also hook your portable generators up to a manual transfer switch that will restore power to your main electrical panel. A manual transfer switch is generally considered the safest way to connect a generator to your home. Any good, licensed electrician should be able to handle installing the transfer switch. This is also the method used to connect standby generators to your home.
Standby generators typically run on natural gas or propane. These types of generators are more powerful than most portable generators. They are permanently installed, and typically are hooked up so they turn on automatically when there’s a power outage. They’ll be able to power most, if not all, of the appliances in your home or business in case of a power outage. They’re also quite a bit more expensive than portable generators.
Which Do You Choose?
Here at Richardson Saw & Lawnmower, we carry Honda generators to help get you through any power outages. Honda generators are among the most reliable on the market. Honda also makes it easy for you to figure out exactly which model to purchase. Just click here to go to the wattage calculator on their website or click here to visit the “Help Me Choose” page. It’ll walk you through finding a generator that’s the best fit for your home or business.
You can also come visit us at our location in Richardson, Texas. As a Honda Power Choice dealer, we’re among the top Honda dealers in the country. We are Honda experts and we’re more than happy to lend you that expertise to help you find just the right generator.
