Automatic transfer switches offer effortless power restoration by detecting outages and facilitating a smooth switch to generator power. Simultaneously, factor in the complexity of your electrical system. A transfer switch that aligns with your generator’s output ensures efficient power distribution across your household circuits. The size of your generator dictates the transfer switch capacity you’ll require. You’ll want to assess your power demands to choose the ideal transfer switch for your whole house generator. It’s what enables a seamless transition to backup power during outages. This component is a crucial link between your generator and your home’s electrical system. When shopping for a whole house generator, it’s important to make sure you purchase the right transfer switch. This evaluation will help you determine the generator’s capacity that suits your needs without overspending. Assess your essential appliances and systems that need backup power during outages. It’s essential to balance your budget and your power requirements. Smaller generators that power essential circuits will typically be more budget-friendly than larger units that supply power to the entire house. Whole house generators come in various sizes and capacities, each with a corresponding price range. Understanding your budget is the first step. While these generators offer excellent backup power solutions, your choice should align with your financial constraints. BudgetĬhoosing the right whole house generator based on your budget involves careful consideration of your power needs and available options. Propane is cheaper and less contaminating, but using natural gas means you won’t have to refill a tank (although this isn’t an option if you’re looking to go off the grid).īe sure to purchase the right type of generator for the fuel you’re looking to use, or check to see if it can be easily converted from one fuel source to the other (most can be). Whole house generators either use liquid propane from a tank or natural gas from a utility line (or custom tank). Liquid-cooled generators tend to work best, particularly if you live in an area that often reaches temperatures of over 100 degrees, because they are much less likely to overheat. They often overheat and then automatically shut down. This coolant absorbs heat from the engine, then is cycled through to the radiator, where it cools off, then moves back to the engine to maintain an appropriate temperature.Īir-cooled generators are usually less efficient, and they tend to have shorter shelf lives when used in whole-house contexts. Liquid-cooled generators pump coolant through the engine block.
An air-cooled generator either passively uses the surrounding air to cool the engine or relies on a fan to maintain temperature. When you’ve determined what power level you need from your whole house generator, you should consider whether you want an air-cooled or liquid-cooled system. typically uses a minimum of 5,000 to 7,000 watts, so you should expect most generators to have a minimum of 8,500 to 10,000 watt outputs. We recommend multiplying the total wattage of your appliances by 1.5 to give yourself a safe margin of error. To determine how much power you’ll need for your generator, you can either use an online wattage calculator, the wattage information on your appliances or your electrical bill.
Best Whole House Generators Of March 2024Ĭonsider four primary elements when choosing a whole house generator: power requirements, cooling systems, fuel types and noise levels. While we work hard to provide accurate and up to date information that we think you will find relevant, Forbes Home does not and cannot guarantee that any information provided is complete and makes no representations or warranties in connection thereto, nor to the accuracy or applicability thereof. The compensation we receive from advertisers does not influence the recommendations or advice our editorial team provides in our articles or otherwise impact any of the editorial content on Forbes Home. Second, we also include links to advertisers’ offers in some of our articles these “affiliate links” may generate income for our site when you click on them. This site does not include all companies or products available within the market. The compensation we receive for those placements affects how and where advertisers’ offers appear on the site. First, we provide paid placements to advertisers to present their offers. This compensation comes from two main sources. To help support our reporting work, and to continue our ability to provide this content for free to our readers, we receive compensation from the companies that advertise on the Forbes Home site. The Forbes Home editorial team is independent and objective.