Choosing a generator for a single-family home is a way to cope with the lack of electricity during a grid failure. How to choose the right generator and what to look for before buying?
How powerful should a generator be for a single-family home?
A generator for a single-family home is an interesting alternative in situations where there is no mains power. In times when more and more devices in households operate on electricity, and home heating also depends on electricity, the fact of having a generator ceases to be surprising. Choosing the right model depends on the needs of a given building and its residents.
Before purchasing the right device, you should consider what devices will use the power generated by the generator. When calculating the power requirement, you should consider what devices will use the generator and know their power consumption, remembering that the device will initially need about 2-3 times more power to start.
Generators with a power of 3-5 kW will work well in most homes, where in the event of a failure, basic equipment such as a refrigerator, lighting, as well as RTV equipment or a central heating pump will be powered. If a water pump or an electric cooker is also used in the house, it is better to choose a generator with a power of 6-8 kW.
In homes where the energy demand is much higher, due to air conditioning, electric heating, or when the household members will use many devices at the same time, it is better to choose more powerful devices. In such a situation, 10-15 kW generators will work well.
Which generator to choose for a single-family home: Inverter or regular?
When choosing a device for your home, you need to pay attention to more parameters. It is important not only what power generator you choose, but also its type. There are inverter and standard devices available. Which one to choose? It all depends on what devices will be powered and how long the generator will operate. Each solution has specific advantages and disadvantages that should be considered.
Inverter generators are used where the generated current will be used by devices sensitive to voltage changes. Examples include computers, audio equipment, and televisions. This type of solution provides current with a very stable voltage. Another major advantage is its quiet operation and low fuel consumption. Due to its small size and lightweight design, an inverter generator is an easy-to-carry device. The mobility and constant voltage of an inverter generator have their price - the cost of purchasing the device is higher, and its target power is usually lower (up to 5 kW).
Classic power generators are devices with higher power, even above 10-15 kW. Thanks to this, they will work even in more difficult conditions, when they have to provide the right amount of energy even for more demanding devices. In addition, they can work longer than small, inverter devices. Models of traditional generators are also available in a three-phase version. Higher power and efficiency bring certain consequences - they generate more noise, and fuel consumption is higher.
How to calculate the power demand of a generator for a single-family home
So how do you choose a generator for a single-family home? Generators must meet the energy needs of the home. To calculate it, you need to determine both the nominal power of the devices and the actual starting power, which is higher.
The first step in determining the demand is to determine what devices are to be used during a power outage. Then, you need to determine their nominal and starting power. Knowing the power of the devices, you can choose the power of the generator, which must be higher than the sum of the starting power of all the devices in operation.
In homes where the current generated by the generator will be used by devices sensitive to voltage changes, it is better to choose a model equipped with an AVR system or an inverter, which stabilizes the voltage. This is a way to eliminate or significantly reduce the risk of damage to the equipment.
It is not only the power that is important, because the power generator must be matched to the type of devices operating in the house. If a single-family home uses three-phase devices, an example of which is a deep well pump, three-phase models should be considered.
In addition, you should pay attention to the type of fuel: petrol, diesel or gas, depending on which engine is used in the device.