Emergency generators are considered must-have appliances by some people, and it's easy to see why. These machines protect homes by providing power when the main power source goes out during a storm or blackout. Emergency generators detect a power outage the moment it happens and switch on. After a couple of seconds, the automatic transfer switch detaches your home from the grid and connects it to the generator keeping your lights and appliances on. When buying an emergency generator, there are several considerations you need to make; let's look at these considerations.

What Are Your Power Requirements?

To determine your power requirements, start by listing the essential appliances in your home. These include chillers, refrigerators, HVAC, etc. Write down the power of these appliances in watts; you can search the model number of each appliance online to find the wattage. Add all the watts and divide the figure by 1000 to find the kWh you need. You can also decide to supply power to your entire home. According to Statista, the typical U.S. home uses 11,000 kWh of electricity per year. If your home is average-sized, take this figure and divide it by 365 (number of days in a year) to see how many kilowatts you consume per day.

What Is the Starting Power of Your Appliances?

Now that you have chosen the generator you want to power your home when there is an outage, you need to determine the amount of power (in watts) these appliances are required to start. This power is known as 'surge wattage,' and it's vital because most devices need more power to start up than to run. For instance, an average home refrigerator with a freezer requires 700-800 watts to start but needs only 400-500 watts to run, according to Best Power Guides.

Add an Allowance

Now that you know your appliances' starting and running power, add an allowance of at least 20%. Why? To avoid overloading your emergency generator. An overload will not only cut off your power but can also damage the generator and connected appliances.

With these considerations in mind, you're set to buy emergency generators. Choose a high-efficiency emergency generator for your home to get more value for money. Want to check out our generator services? Call Emergency Power Service today!