How To Size A Standby Generator For Your Home

When a nor'easter or a summer storm takes the grid down, a standby generator brings your power back in seconds without you touching a thing. The most common question we get is what size to buy, and the honest answer is that the right size comes from a load calculation, not a brochure.

Start With What Must Stay On

Make two lists. The first is what you truly need in an outage, things like the refrigerator, the well pump, the heat, a window of outlets and the internet. The second is what you would like, such as central air conditioning, the water heater and the rest of the house. The gap between those lists is usually the gap between a smaller essentials generator and a whole house unit.

The Load Calculation

We add up the real electrical load of your must run equipment, paying special attention to motors. A well pump or air conditioner draws several times its running load for the moment it starts, and a generator that ignores starting loads will stall exactly when you need it.

Fuel And Placement

On the Shore most standby units run on propane or natural gas. We site the generator for code clearances, flood awareness and service access, and we install an automatic transfer switch so the changeover happens on its own.

Do Not Forget Maintenance

A generator that sits for months needs exercise cycles and an annual service to be ready when the storm actually comes. We service what we install.

Want a number for your own home? Read about our generator service or price a generator and we will size it from a real load calculation.