Is a Home Generator Becoming a Necessity?
How They Work, What They Cost and How to Install One Safely
In this weekly Q&A column, retired builder/building inspector Cam Allen answers readers’ questions about home renovation and climate resilient homes. Have a question? Enter it in the form below.
The benefits of a home generator installation are well known to those who live in a rural location or coastal areas where the extremes in the climate are a seasonal issue most years. Today, with the climate extremes it is becoming practically a necessity. I have had a home generator for years, my last four homes started with a basic 5000W portable and today we have a “Whole House” standby generator installation.
For most homes, a basic portable generator will suffice for most intermittent power outages. Generators start with a small wattage, the minimum being a 2000W model and this size is suitable for a regular size refrigerator and some lights. Before we go too far, let’s understand some numbers on most portable generators, there are two of them plus the letter “W.” If the generator says
1200W/1500W then that means this model of portable generator will operate constantly at 1200W and accept an appliance surge of power demand up to 300W. This is needed for a refrigerator to cycle into the cooling mode and then run with less of a demand for power once the fridge is running. As you get larger in operating size the separation becomes greater, allowing more appliances and electrical equipment to power on or cycle up. For example a 3650W wattage generator may have a surge wattage of around 4550W
where a 7000W generator will often allow up to 8750W of surge power.
The “W” attached to the numbers in electrical terms means watt and that measures how much work electricity is doing at any given moment, think of an older 100W incandescent light bulb. An Energy Star standard refrigerator will use, depending upon size from 150-400W running. However, when it starts up it needs on average 800-1200W for the compressor to start. Microwaves are energy hogs, a 1000W model uses 1500-1800 to start up. Small kitchen
appliances like a toaster range from 800-1500 to operate, as much as some fridges. This high demand holds true for most small counter appliances. Computers and printers use far fewer watts. Most laptops range in the 15-100W, routers in the 10-40W range and a satellite dish can demand 25-75W.
So what do I recommend for an average household? The running range is the number you want to buy, not the surge wattage. Depending upon the number of appliances, occupants in the home and any health-related equipment like a nebulizer or an oxygen concentrator. The rule of thumb ranges from 5000W to 7500W for essential circuits. The internet is full of “Wattage Charts” for you to
calculate your home power needs.
The next consideration is “how do I get the power from the generator to my home? This is where I have seen some simply dangerous to life threatening setups. I have seen generator plugs wired up to connect to the clothes dryer or electric kitchen stove plug. One favourite is adding a 30-40 Amp plug to a dedicated breaker in the home panel. This is simply “Illegal… period” and
outright dangerous. This setup means you must remember to shut off the main breaker before you turn your generator on. If you leave the main breaker on, once the hydro supply comes back on you are not only putting the hydro lineman in jeopardy, the likelihood of damage to your panel, generator and appliances in your home is guaranteed! Known as back-feeding it can and does cause fires and equipment meltdown.
So how do you get this setup connected safely? There are two options for using a portable generator. The first one is called a “Meter Mounted Transfer Switch” or commonly known as a “Generlink”. This must be installed by a licensed electrician or your hydro provider.
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This electrical fitting sits behind your meter and provides a safe outlet for your generator to plug into while automatically isolating your hydro supply. Depending upon the size of generlink they range from $1500 to 2000 plus the installation. The only drawback to a Generlink is it provides power to your entire home circuitry. If you turn on more than your generator can provide power for, the generator will trip its main circuit breaker and shut down. You must be aware of what you can have operating during a power outage.
Most qualified electricians I know of go through a list of electrical needs with the homeowner and explain the limitations. The other option is known by a few names, a genset panel, manual transfer switch or standby panel. This setup means a licensed electrician installs a specialty panel that allows your home supply to provide power to a separate panel. When the hydro power fails, you go to this panel and move the main switch over to the generator
side and then turn on your generator. The advantages here are you do not have to worry about overriding your generator’s capacity as can happen with a Generlink and once the hydro power comes back on you simply move the genset panel main switch over to your main panel side and the generator is safely disconnect from your home electrical system. The prices here range based upon your generator size with 30-40 amp being popular installations. As an example I helped a friend get a 50 amp genset system installed with his 10,000W portable generator about 6 years ago. The panel was just over $1,300 and the electrician charged him $800 plus the permit. We mounted the panel on a piece of ⅝” plywood beside the main 200 amp panel for the electrician.
The other option is a whole house standby panel and these are usually fully automated, most are propane or natural gas operated, have automatic transfer switches, some can be operated by wifi and commonly add value to a home. The largest consideration is the cost. An installed 14000W standby system can run anywhere from $12,000 to $20,000 depending upon make and location. The unit alone runs from $7,000 to $10,000, depending upon make.
Personally speaking, given today’s climate extremes I would not live without a home generator system. Just stop and calculate how much the contents of your fridge and freezer would cost to replace at today’s food prices.
Read more on this topic in Comparing Gas vs Solar Generators for Home Power Backup »
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