How Big of a Generator Do You Need for Your Whole House?

How Big of a Generator Do You Need for Your Whole House?

Whole House Generators Power the Delaware Valley

When the power goes out, do you have a plan? Power outages can be more than a huge inconvenience – they can be downright dangerous. If you rely on electric heat, a power outage in the winter can mean a health emergency, and without power, your home can be left vulnerable to thieves. On top of that, the loss of power can even leave you without the ability to call for help when your phone battery runs out and no landline service is available. The good news is that generators can easily and affordably keep your whole home running smoothly until the power is turned back on. A modern whole house generator allows you to run your appliances and heat and cool your home without missing a beat, leaving you with peace of mind the next time a storm is on the horizon.

Consider Your Power Needs

When determining what size generator you need to power your whole house, there are a couple of things to take into consideration. First, you need to think about the major systems in your home and how they are powered. For example, if you use electric heat exclusively, you’ll likely need a larger generator capable of providing constant electricity. On the other hand, if you utilize city water, you may not need as large of a generator because you won’t need to pump well water.

Additionally, consider the types of devices you need to power on a routine basis and on a continual basis. You’ll likely need to run lighting for sustained periods of time, but you may only need to run power tools occasionally during an emergency while on generator power. Your power usage determines how large of a generator you’ll need, but there is a difference between starting and running wattage. Things like light bulbs will need the same amount of power to start and to run, but other items such as large appliances will need more power to start and less power during a run cycle.

We’d recommend you start by making a list of all of the appliances you’d like to power. The next step is to determine the corresponding wattage for everything on that list.

Watts Up with Amps?

When putting together a whole house generator system, there’s some math involved, but thankfully, you’ll only need a few simple equations to figure things out. Electrical appliances and systems are often measured in amps, but generators give their output in watts. To determine the correct relationship between an appliance and a generator, you need to convert amps to watts and vice versa.

To determine wattage, simply multiply volts by amps. In order to determine amps, you can just divide watts by volts. Keep in mind that most appliances in the United States use 120 volts as the standard. Once you’ve determined the total watts you’ll need you can select the appropriate whole house generator. It’s best to choose a generator which is slightly larger than your specific needs because it’s always better to have extra watts available if necessary. Plus, running a generator at full load will shorten its lifespan and can produce a lot of noise.

Contact the Whole House Generator Pros in the Delaware Valley Today

At Oliver, we’re committed to keeping you comfortable and safe with our whole house generator solutions. To schedule your free estimate, learn more about the benefits of a whole house generator or for help deciding what generator will fit your needs, call Oliver today. You can also speak with a friendly comfort care specialist by filling out our convenient contact form right now.

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