The Right Size Generator for Your House
With energy crises being more common nowadays, power outage is a growing concern. A generator can power your house when the electricity goes out, it will keep the power on so you don’t have to experience spoiled food, mold, mildew, or extreme temperatures.
So, can a generator power a whole house? Many houses can experience inconvenient power outages that last for quite some time. A generator will allow you to continue with your daily activities without putting anything on hold. You can check online generator price in Pakistan and compare various generators prices.
Calculating the size of generator needed to power a house:
Firstly, you need to measure in terms of watts. To figure out what size generator is required to power a house according to your needs, you have to know about your energy needs.
- Pick the devices you want to run
Firstly, list all the machines that you want to run during a power outage; such as your AC, refrigerator, and lighting circuits.
- Power requirement calculator
Starting watts: It is the wattage required for an appliance to start. It is usually two to three times more than the running wattage. Many electronic machines and appliances need more wattage to start up than to keep running.
Running watts: It is also called rated wattage; it is the amount of electricity needed to keep an appliance running. Many appliances usually state the running wattage to aid in calculating the amount of wattage needed to power everything.
- Get a generator slightly bigger than your requirements:
You should buy a generator for house use that can run all your appliances and devices by using not more than 90 percent of its capacity. That way, that generator will not be overloaded. It’ll also reduce the noise it makes when it runs and the lifespan is not drastically reduced. So, let’s say your power requirements total 1500 running watts, you should get a generator that offers at least 1700 running wattage.
Ideal size generator for a house:
Generator rated at 5000 – 7500 watts is an ideal range for a generator for house use. These will allow you to run a refrigerator, freezer, and lighting circuits. But a generator with 7500 watts can run all these devices at once. To find out exactly what size generator could power a house, you need to check the exact wattage of your house appliances to be completely sure.
If you reside in an area where power outages are frequent, then you should go for a larger generator. It’ll cost you more but it’s a great investment and it’ll give you peace of mind. However, a smaller generator seems like the best choice when you only have to use it a couple of times, just in case of an emergency.
Difference between amps, watts, and volts:
Electric current is the amount of energy passing through a wire. There are different methods that measure how the energy goes through. Knowing these different measurement methods will allow you to make a better decision.
Watts are units of electric power. Wattage basically measures how much power a device uses.
Wattage= amps x voltage
Amps or amperes is how intensely a charge flows, it is measured in coulombs per second. Amps and volts are sometimes used together in a measurement known as VA.
Voltage measures the electric potential between two points. When a charge is going from one point to another, the difference is measured in voltage. Voltage always moves from a high voltage to a low voltage.
Final Points:
Portable inverter generators can be used to run electronics such as flat screen TVs and laptops. Most inverters are usually too small to run a whole house, but they come with a capability that allows you to double your power output by using two inverter generators in parallel. Just be careful if you decide to buy a portable generator, whether it is an inverter or a conventional generator, you should never operate it without a transfer switch as it could damage your household appliances and the electric grid in the neighborhood.
