What's the Best Type of Generator for Home Use?

When the electricity goes out, lack of power can range from inconvenient to dangerous. Whether you live in an area frequently hit with power outages or you just want to ensure your family's comfort and safety, adding a whole-house generator is the perfect solution.

What Is a Whole-House Generator?

Also known as a standby generator, a whole-house generator is a stationary generator connected to your home. When the power goes out, the whole-house generator automatically kicks on. This allows you to keep your home up and running during power outages. 

Whole-House Generator or Portable Generator?

You might also be considering a portable generator. Portable generators are smaller and less expensive than whole-house generators. Designed for smaller, temporary jobs where portability trumps power, they are often used for camping or on construction sites where there is no easy access to electricity. However, portable generators are not ideal for providing auxiliary power to your home. They require frequent refills of fuel, are louder to operate, and do not automatically kick on during a power outage. They also require protection from the elements. 

Whole-home generators, on the other hand, are professionally installed and include weatherproof, insulated housing. This protects the generator from the weather and dampens noise, minimizing the constant sound you get when running a portable generator. Whole-house generators are fueled by natural gas or propane. While a portable generator may use as much as 20 gallons of gasoline a day, a whole-house generator can run indefinitely if connected to a natural gas line and for weeks when connected to a propane tank. 

Powering Your Home With a Generator

Another consideration when selecting the best generator for your home is how well it will handle your electrical needs. Portable generators top out at around 8500 watts, which may not be powerful enough to provide the power you want. In contrast, a whole-house generator can provide 24,000 watts of power or more, allowing most people to run their homes during an outage just as they would normally. 

Using a Generator

Using a portable generator requires work once the power goes out. Someone in the household will need to bring the generator out, fuel it up, and connect it to the circuit-breaker panel with a transfer switch. If you do not have a transfer switch installed, you will need to use extension cords to connect the appliances and electrical devices you want to use directly to the generator. 

While in use, portable generators will need refueling to continue to run throughout the power outage. Depending on the weather and how much gasoline you have on hand, you may need to conserve electrical usage even with a portable generator. 

For safety, portable generators should be at least 20 feet from the home and positioned so that the exhaust is pointed away from the windows and doors of both your home and any neighbors who are nearby. Some portable generators come with an automatic shut-off that is activated if carbon monoxide levels accumulate to dangerous levels, but it is a good idea to have CO detectors in your home as well. 

When you use a whole-house generator, you bypass many of the issues that are encountered in the use of a portable generator. The whole-house generator is installed by a professional and then is worry-free. When there is a power outage, the generator will kick on by itself. Once power is restored, the generator kicks off. 

Your Generator Professionals

New River Heating & Air in Radford, VA believes that everyone should be comfortable and safe in their home. We've been in business since 1986, providing dependable service to our residential and business customers in the New River Valley. In addition to installing whole-home generators, we provide all types of heating and cooling services, including installation, maintenance, and repair. Our team also provides tankless water heater and ductwork services.

When you work with us, you can count on certified service technicians performing all work, with no-charge service calls for the first 12 months after we install a product. We prioritize service to our existing customers, and there is no charge for both covered labor and parts for repairs conducted during the manufacturer’s written warranty. 

If you are ready to learn more about the benefits of a whole-house generator, get in touch with us today. We would love to hear from you.