What Is the Best Generator for Home Use?

Many homeowners are turning to home generators for backup electricity in the event of a power outage—which the average household will experience five times every year. But how do you choose the best standby generator for your home? The short answer is that you pick the one that makes the most sense for your household power needs. The long answer is a bit more involved.

What Is a Home Generator and Why Should You Invest in One?

A home generator is a backup power supply powered by propane or natural gas in case your electricity goes out due to weather, rolling blackouts, or other events.  One of the biggest concerns about a power outage is not knowing how long the electricity is going to be out. A standby generator can give you peace of mind whether your power is out for a few hours or a few days.

Determining Your Home Generator Power Needs

To figure out your household power needs, you first must decide what you need to keep running during a power outage. You may need your:

• HVAC system to stay warm or cool depending on the weather
• Refrigerator and freezer so food doesn’t spoil
• Medical equipment so you or your loved one can stay as healthy as possible
• Hot water heater so you can take showers
• Lights so you don’t have to burn through candles or flashlight batteries
• Stove, oven, or microwave so you can prepare meals
• Security system so you feel safe within the walls of your home
• Plumbing needs such as a septic system or well pump

Next, you need to calculate how many watts of power everything needs. Here are the approximate power needs of common home appliances.

• Home air conditioning – 3,250 to 4,000 watts
• Home heater – 2,000 to 3,000 watts
• Space heaters – 2,000 to 5,000 watts
• Refrigerator/freezer – 1,200 to 4000 watts
• Hot water heater – 6,600 to 8,800 watts
• Lights – 40 to 100 watts per light
• Oven – 2,150 watts
• Microwave – 600 to 1,700 watts
• Well pump – 750 watts

On the upper end, and assuming you have 15 lights, that adds up to 30,900 watts, or 30.9 kilowatts. The power needs of security systems and medical equipment vary too widely to be included in this calculation. Tri-State home generators are available in sizes from 12 kilowatts to 80 kilowatts.

Why Choose a Tri-State Standby Generator

Our standby generators come with several features that make using them a prudent choice, including:

• Automatic transfer switches that detect when your power has been cut off, so the standby generator will turn on within seconds
• Remote control monitors that show you your home generator’s performance status
• Weekly system checks that run complete diagnostic checks, so you have peace of mind knowing your generator is ready at a moment’s notice
• Rust-resistant coatings, so you don’t have to worry about your standby generator degrading over time
• 24/7 emergency services, so you have peace of mind knowing that no matter what happens, we won’t leave you in the dark

Why You Should Choose Tri-State Water, Power & Air for Your Home Generator

At Tri-State Water, Power & Air, we’ve been providing exceptional solutions and service since 1992. We’re proud of our A+ rating from the Better Business Bureau, our 4.8-star average on Google reviews, and our list of thousands of satisfied customers. We look forward to adding you to that list. Why wait? Contact Tri-State today to speak with a standby generator specialist about your home’s power needs.