Not every home needs a 10,000 watt generator in case of an emergency. Often a much smaller unit will suffice. The way to find out how much you’ll need in terms of power is to start taking stock of your electronics.
Most portable generators come in wattages ranging from 3,200 to 10,000 watts. Take stock of the appliances you wish to operate. By law every appliance sold in the United States has a label that lists how much power it takes to run. Make a list of the things you have plugged in, write down the appliance and how much power it takes.
Portable generators are not meant to run all of the appliances in your home, so start by prioritizing. One essential appliance that most people want to keep running is their freezer. Once something defrosts it cannot be safely frozen again without inviting bacteria, so don’t run the risk of spoiling everything you have saved to that point.
You’re also going to want something to cook with. A full oven and stove is will most likely use too much power. Consider listing your microwave as a priority, and making use of your outdoor grill.
When your priority list is complete, add them up and multiply by 1.5 to account for the extra power it takes to start appliances. This will be the amount of power needed to run those appliances.
Whether you need a 10,000 watt generator or a much smaller model, we have them all.