What Does A Whole House Generator Cost?
During an electrical storm, a generator can keep your house powered for days at a time. A typical whole house power supply costs between $3,00 and $25,000. Are Average Costs (depending on power needs) spending $10,500.
When the lights go out, what do you think about first? Your refrigerator? Your children? Your pets? Your spouse? Your car? Your phone? You’re probably thinking about something else entirely. But whatever you’re thinking about, chances are good that you’ll be able to get through the day without having to worry about whether or not you’ve got enough electricity to keep your fridge running. House generator installation costs do vary across the country as well.
What Are Whole House Generator Cost’s
The price of whole house generation depends on a variety of factors including regional electricity rates, local utility costs, and the number of appliances used. When the power goes out during a storm, people often panic and head straight to the store to purchase expensive emergency supplies. However, if they had purchased a generator before the storm hit, they would not have needed to spend money on additional supplies. A generator is also useful for those living in areas where the power regularly fails due to storms or other natural disasters.
Different Generator Type’s and Size’s
Generating electricity is not easy. In order to produce enough energy to run a household, a large number of components must work together efficiently. A good example would be a car engine. When we drive our cars, we do so because the engine produces sufficient power to move the vehicle forward. However, if one component fails, such as a spark plug, then the engine may not start. Similarly, if any part of the electric grid fails, then the entire system cannot function properly. For instance, if a transformer fails, then the entire grid might go down.
Portable generators are what most folks have as they tend to be the cheaper option for most home owners in a power outage.

Portable Generator
A portable generator Known as ( portable units ) is the least expensive option to choose when searching for a alternative for home power. Relatively inexpensive and do not need things like a transfer switch and minimal installation costs are involved. These units do come with optional fuel type, from liquid propane to diesel fuel, to gasoline.
These units tend to run just the basics on a house, such as well pump (depending on electric needed) Refrigerator and a few lights. This will not normally run the entire house during a power outage. But during a power outage are a great source of backup power for any home owner. And do offer a wide range of uses such as camping and power for a RV.
Standby Generator
These units will be the more expensive option as they will be your own power station when you do loose power from the grid. These units tend to be called a whole-home generator, and are bought and installed based on what you need for power from the electrical grid.
These units will need professional installation and will be wired to a automatic transfer switch, so there will be additional labor costs involved. A Automatic Transfer switch is like heaven during a storm, There is a wonderful feeling knowing the power just comes back on during a storm.
Cost Difference
As above the generator installation will really be the difference in the two power supply’s. But every home owner has different needs, such as running medical equipment during a blackout. And in today’s day and age internet needs to be restored ( for you to have peace of mind ) for the kids…..just kidding….
Typically the real difference between the two options are really, what essential appliances you the home owner wants. What are the energy consumption of the home and what are the power requirements for each home will play a role in what is the best option for the home owner.
Conclusion
A backup generator will give the home owner peace of mind knowing that the needs what ever they may be will still be met. The average size generator will vary depending on the needs as stated above, and fuel source and fuel supply will vary across the country as well. During a electrical outage, you need to ask yourself what is needed that you would normally get from the utility grid.
Do you need a washing machine? Medical equipment? or do you just want the essentials like lights and a refrigerator. Contact Us For all your generator needs.


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Appliance Wattage Guide
Appliance/Equipment | Running Wattage |
---|---|
Refrigerator/Freezer | 600 – 800 |
Electric Range (one element) | 2500 |
Toaster | 1100 – 1700 |
Microwave | 1200 |
Hot Plate | 1250 |
Coffeemaker | 400 – 800 |
Electric Oven | 5000 |
Television | 100 – 350 |
Personal Computer | 500 – 2000 |
Hair Dryer | 1200 – 1500 |
Vacuum | 700 – 1400 |
Space Heater | 1250 |
Table Lamp | 150 |
Electric Furnace | 5000 – 25000 |
Heater (radiant) | 1300 |
Central Air Conditioning | 2000 – 4000 |
Water Heater | 3000 – 4500 |
Water Pump | 1000 – 2000 |
Window Air Conditioner | 600 – 1500 |
Outdoor Lighting | 500 – 1000 |
Sump Pump | 1500 |
How to Calculate the Total Wattage You Need for a Generator:
Make a list of all the appliances and systems you want to power with your generator.
Look up the running wattage for each item on your list. If you have the manuals for your appliances and systems, this information should be listed there. If not, you may be able to find the wattage information online.
If any of the appliances on your list have motors (e.g. a refrigerator, air conditioner, or washing machine), you will need to calculate the starting wattage as well. To do this, use the formula: Running wattage (R) + Starting wattage (R x 3) = Total wattage needed. For example, if your refrigerator has a running wattage of 600 and a starting wattage of 1800 (600 x 3), you will need a total of 2400 watts to power it.
Once you have the running wattage and starting wattage (if applicable) for all of the appliances and systems on your list, add them up to get the total wattage needed.
Choose a generator that is rated for at least the total wattage needed. If you plan to use multiple appliances at the same time, you may want to choose a generator with a slightly higher wattage rating to ensure that you have enough power.
Example:
Here is an example of how to use this process to determine the total wattage needed for a generator:
List of items to power: Refrigerator (running wattage 600, starting wattage 1800), microwave (running wattage 1200), television (running wattage 150), and a few light bulbs (running wattage 60 each).
Running wattage for each item: Refrigerator 600, microwave 1200, television 150, light bulbs (60 x 4) 240.
Starting wattage for the refrigerator: 600 + (600 x 3) = 2400.
Total wattage needed: 600 + 1200 + 150 + 240 + 2400 = 4590 watts.
Choose a generator that is rated for at least 4590 watts, or slightly higher if you plan to use multiple appliances at the same time.
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