If you’re looking for your house, “What size generator do I need,” initially, you figure out how much actual power or wattage is enough to power your house.
First you need to check the starting wattage and the running wattage of your appliances before using them.
In this article, we discuss how to determine the right size of a generator, how to calculate its wattage, and what factors are important when choosing a generator for your home.
Why You Need to Choose the Right Size of Generator to Run a House
When you’re choosing a home generator, size matters. If your generator is too small, it can overburden, damage other equipment, or stop working when you need a power source during blackouts. On the contrary an oversized generator can cause more fuel waste and higher costs, which might not be needed. The best standby generator for home use Uk will give consistent and reliable power during the interruption of electricity, without unnecessary costs and utilisation.
What Appliances Need Power in Your Home?
The initial step in choosing the right generator size is to figure out what appliances you want to use. All appliance has two power requirements:
Starting Wattage: The higher power needed to start up appliances.
Running Wattage: The energy needed to keep the equipment working after it starts.
Running and starting watts requirements are different for every appliance, and some equipment need no surge power (starting watts) to power up.
To calculate your total power demands, make a list of all your appliances you need to run, write down the running and starting wattage and add up both to see the ability you require.
For a house, you can often estimate the electricity needs of the distribution board in your house that tends to handle 230 volts and up to 100 Amps. To cover these power requirements, for example, you would need generators and prices with a volume of 23kW (230V x 100A = 23,000W = 23kW), which can supply energy from the generator to the whole house.
This step can help you with the power calculator, by deciding the continuous power rating you require adding up all of your necessary appliances. To help you get started, here’s an idea of the running and starting watts of typical home appliances:
Appliance | Wattage(Running) | Wattage(Starting) |
Freezer | 1600 | 400 |
Refrigerator | 1200 | 200 |
Microwave(1000W) | 1000 | 1000 |
Toaster(1000) | 1000 | 1000 |
Washing Machine | 2400 | 1200 |
Dishwasher | 1200 | 1200 |
Television(LCD) | 120 | 120 |
Space Heater(1500W) | 1500 | 1500 |
Computer | 300 | 300 |
Laptop | 250 | 250 |
Light Bulb(LED) | — | 10 |
Ceiling Fan | 60 | 60 |
WiFi Router | 20 | 20 |
We would suggest that you select the best household generator that is large size than your requirements. This way, you obtain extra watts, so the backup generator won’t be running at the entire load (which is quieter), and you can account for any extra appliances in the future for your home.
What Size Is Your House?
Commonly, at a larger home, the more electrical watts it utilises. For small to medium homes, a best emergency generator with 5,000 to 10,000 watts should be enough. If your home is large and you need a heating system and air conditioning to run, a fuel generator with at least 20,000 watts or more is recommended to cover your whole power solution.
The average UK household between 2-3 people utilizes 2,900 kWh of supply power output per year, but this can differ wildly depending on your family’s habits. Here’s our suggested generator wattage for different size houses to supply whole-house backup power.
House Type | Suggested Wattage |
Small Caravan | 1,500 – 2,000W |
Studio or Flat (1 Bedroom) | 3,000 – 10,000W |
Small Home (1-2 Bedrooms) | 5,000 – 10,000W |
Medium Home (3-4 Bedrooms) | 15,000 – 20,000W |
Large Home (5+ Bedrooms) | 20,000W |
Additionally, keep in mind that any unique conditions will impact the size generator you need.
Climate: In cool climates, you might require more energy for heating, and in hot climates, you might require air conditioning to run.
Length of Outage: If you expect a longer power outage, you may need a more comprehensive standby generator.
Energy Efficiency: Which house with energy-efficient equipment may have lower wattage requirements.
Types of Generators for Houses
It depends on the right size generator consider when choosing a generator, most people adapt to using an inverter or a portable generator to provide power to their house.
Portable Small petrol generators are good choice generators that can be easy to move and use. They usually power supply for necessary appliances and are the best source for short-term power blackouts.
Alternatively, inverter generators are excellent for running electronics because they use less fuel and are quiet. However, they generally have less energy than the best standby generator for home use uk. That said, most inverter generators can be paralleled together to maximize their available amps when you need.
If you face frequent power outages, you select the best standby generator, which is able to power a whole house. In the event of a power blackout, these standby petrol electric generators can be operated best and turned on with a manual or automatic transfer switch(ATS) to keep your home active.
Fuel Types
Generators operate on different types of fuel, including petrol generators for home, diesel generators petrol, propane, liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) or solar power. Diesel is the most famous fuel for industrial generators diesel as it’s successful, cost-efficient and widely available. On the other hand, natural gas generators make less emissions and have more reasonable running costs.
Solar generators are perfect for those who want to stay away from fuel altogether; even if the starting cost for a panel can be more costly, solar pays for itself in the long run by making it so you don’t worry about paying for fuel. Solar generators are the best generator for home during power outages and they are the most eco-friendly choice.
Noise Levels
When buying a generator in the UK, one important consideration that is frequently overlooked is the noise level, especially in residential areas. Usually, larger generators make more noise. If your house needs a powerful generator, hope for higher levels of noise unless you invest your money in top rated generators for your home in a quieter model.
The level of noise is calculated in decibels (dB), and a typical generator can range from 60 to 100 dB. It offers you an idea: 100 dB is similar to the sound of a power saw, whereas 60 dB is around the normal level of conversation. If noise is a disturbance to you, a silent petrol generator is right choice.
Get the Best Generator Deals – Contact Us Today!
If you’re looking for a generator? At UK power generators, we offer a larger range of generators, petrol generator uk, gas generators, Containerized generators, 5kw generator for your specific requirements. All of our generators are manufactured, verified and tested to industry standards, and come with a best cost promise – you won’t find prices cheaper anywhere on the web, but if you do, we’ll match them with us. Additionally, all orders come with free UK shipping and after-sales support from our expert team.
If you need any additional advice or have a question from our team, feel free to get in contact with us using this form or via phone at +44 7391 302372
FAQS
Can I Run My Whole House on a Portable Generator?
Ni, you can not run your whole house on portable generators because portable generators are not suitable and less costly. The majority of portable models have a power range of 3,000 to 7,500 watts, which is sufficient to run essential appliances but may not be able to handle heavy loads.
Can a Battery-Powered Generator Run a House?
A standard battery-powered generator can run crucial appliances like a light bulb, small refrigerators and small electronics, but may struggle with high-power systems. A few expensive battery generators can power an entire house, but they cost a lot up front.