What size power generator do I need for my house?

Power outages due to storms, flooding, cold and heat are now more and more common in the United States. So, it is no surprise many people, especially in the Midwest, are starting to recognize emergency power generators are a necessity rather than a luxury item.

“Our generators power sump pumps during flooding events, power medical equipment for sick family members and power refrigerators in the event of power loss,” according to Daniel (Dan) Sondej who has been working on air and liquid cooled generators at Doug’s Heating & Air Conditioning for over 17 years.

Power outages will cost you access to vital electronic devices, safety features like lights, refrigerated food, and more. Talking about food, emergency generators are especially relevant for the hospitality industry and restaurants, which is why Dan also focuses on commercial installations and refrigeration.

Because they can secure so many different functions, generators need to match your specific needs. An underpowered generator can cause a voltage drop and damage your home electronics, while a drastically overpowered unit will be inefficient. Consider the following factors and check out our blog Kilo-What? for more details on power calculations and the installation process:

• Make a list of all the appliances you need to power in the case of a power outage. This means you can focus on just the most essential appliances like refrigerators and lights until the power grid is back to normal to save money.
• Determine the starting and running wattages of each appliance on the list. Things like your refrigerator have a high starting power need, but require less power once up and running, a laptop or computer will tend to require the same amount of power from start to stop. Owner’s manuals can be a great resource for this information.
• Add up the totals for starting and running wattages and you will have a rough estimate of your power needs.

We certainly don’t expect our customers to figure out everything on their own. We are more than happy to provide free estimates on equipment and unit size to best fit your needs. Just give us a call or request your free estimate online.