Written on: October 12, 2018
Last month, we talked about some of the compelling reasons to have a whole house propane generator for your Pennsylvania home. This week, we’ll talk how to choose a model that’s right for you based on three key considerations: size, placement, and cost.
How big of a whole house generator do you need? Well, that depends primarily on two things: how large your home is and what equipment you want to power during an outage. Taken together, these make up the electric load your whole house generator needs to meet.
A good way to decide on how big a generator you will need is to break your usage down into two categories: Essentials (lights, refrigerator, sump pump, furnace fan, security system, TV/computers, and microwave), and high-wattage items, such as your A/C or heat pump, clothes dryer, water heater, and oven or stove.
Generators come in a wide range of capacities, and prices vary accordingly. A small, easy-to-place 8 kilowatt (kW) unit, for example, can operate power essentials such as lights, refrigerator, TV, and other small appliances. A large 25 kW commercial-grade generator, on the other hand, can easily run a home HVAC system in addition to those items.
Whole house generators can be as large or even slightly larger than the outdoor unit of your central A/C, depending on the power output – so you’ll need space to place it. Whole house generators also need to be near electricity, and they must be placed to comply with flood, noise and electrical codes – big reasons why a whole house generator must be installed by a professional.
Stand-by propane generators range in price between $2,000 to $10,000 or more, depending on the size and capacity of the unit. The more you want to power, the higher the price.
If you have been thinking about investing in a whole house propane generator, now is a GREAT time to jump in: For a limited time, you can save $500 on a backup generator installation! Contact Ace-Robbins today to get a FREE, no obligation estimate on a propane generator for your Pennsylvania home.
