Buying generator: Types, cost, determining power, what can they run

Mar 24, 2024

Thinking about getting a generator?

You're not alone, and for good reason.

On average, U.S. electricity customers experienced just over seven hours of power interruptions in 2021, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.

Florida residents saw 82.9 minutes of no electricity in 2021 — which was well below the 200-plus minutes in 2020.

In 2021, Florida was among a group that had the shortest total time of power interruptions, which ranged from 52 minutes in the District of Columbia to 102 minutes in Nevada. Other members of the group included Delaware and North Dakota.

Compare that with the states with the most power interruptions. Customers in Louisiana, Oregon, Texas, Mississippi, and West Virginia experienced the most time without power in 2021, ranging from almost 19 hours in West Virginia to more than 80 hours in Louisiana.

Those long days without power were largely due to extreme weather, something hurricane-wary Floridians are no stranger to.

The United States saw 21 named storms in 2021, the third-most active Atlantic weather season on record. The year followed 2020's record 30 storms and the 28 storms that formed in 2005. A typical season sees 14 storms.

Generators are intended to help people during the times when power goes out. Depending on the type and size, they can keep the lights on, keep food cold in your refrigerator or even run your air conditioning. Here's what you should know.

There are several types of generators available for home use. Among the ones listed by Forbes are:

Models range from small units that start at about $450 and can power a single appliance to whole-house or home standby generator that can cost upward of $25,000 (including installation) and power an entire house, according to Consumer Reports and Forbes.

When selecting a type of generator, there are many things to consider: the wattage of the appliances you want to power, the different types of fuel used and the power capabilities of the generator.

Once you've decided what appliances you want to keep running during an outage and added up the wattage, keep that in mind when purchasing a generator. Don't buy one that produces more power than you need, said Misha Kollontai, Consumer Reports engineer.

“There’s no need to go larger unless you want to be able to power more in a pinch and are comfortable with needing to keep more gas on hand,” Kollontai said. "Some of the larger portable generators in our ratings can burn through about 20 gallons of gasoline per day."

According to Consumer Reports, based on running wattage, here's what you can run (based on appliance averages). For exact wattage of your appliances, look at your owners manual.

Go to your owner's manual first to see how many watts each item uses that you want to keep running through a generator in case of a power outage.

It's important to remember that the starting — also called surge — wattage of some major appliances is much higher than their normal, running usage. As a motor starts, there is a demand for power that's higher than the normal running wattage. Once it picks up speed, the power requirement drops.

There can be quite a difference between the surge and running wattage. A refrigerator or a freezer may need around 2200 starting watts. However, the running watts needed can be around 700 watts. A small window A/C may require 1200 running watts, but when it first kicks on it may need as high as 3000 watts.

Make sure you see what the maximum surge power, as well as the running or continuous power delivery, is of any generator you're considering.

If outages are prolonged and you want to make sure you have power, consider these types of generators:

These generators can connect directly to your home’s circuit breaker panel, allowing you to control and run appliances that are hardwired, such as air conditioning, well pumps, electric ranges and water heaters.

Be sure a licensed electrician installs a transfer switch at the breaker box.

If you don't want to spend thousands of dollars but you still get some power outages and don't mind pulling a generator out of a garage or shed to hook it up, consider purchasing:

You will still need to have a transfer switch installed.

Want to spend even less? A midsized inverter or a small recreational inverter can run a refrigerator, television, portable cooktop or even a window air conditioner. (Make sure the startup wattage on the generator can accommodate the appliances.)

Portable back-up generators produce the poisonous gas carbon monoxide.

Carbon monoxide is an odorless, colorless gas that kills without warning. It claims the lives of hundreds of people every year and makes thousands more ill, according to the Centers for Disease Control.

Deadly gas:Carbon monoxide is invisible gas that can kill in minutes. Here's what you should know

To keep you and your family safe, follow these tips: