OT - whole house generator
- Thread starter Nitwit
- Start date
Have not done it myself, but several neighbors have. I understand Generac will run around $7K to $8K depending on size and the deal you strike. Kohler will run around $10K.
I just put one into a new build.
Generac is the most common brand. Kohler, Briggs & Stratton and Champion Power Equipment are others. Noise is a consideration as mine kicks on once a week to recharge. My zoning required me to put in some kind of privacy (cover, landscaping, etc). If you've got neighbors that are close by that can be an issue.
Sizing is important. I was going to just run the basics (fridge, wifi, heating/ac) but when it was all said and done it was cheaper just to do the entire house since it was a new build. The units I looked at were in the $5k area but cost another couple of thousand for installation.
Generac is the most common brand. Kohler, Briggs & Stratton and Champion Power Equipment are others. Noise is a consideration as mine kicks on once a week to recharge. My zoning required me to put in some kind of privacy (cover, landscaping, etc). If you've got neighbors that are close by that can be an issue.
Sizing is important. I was going to just run the basics (fridge, wifi, heating/ac) but when it was all said and done it was cheaper just to do the entire house since it was a new build. The units I looked at were in the $5k area but cost another couple of thousand for installation.
It seems like a lot of my neighbors have a Generac and my neighbor’s kicks on for about 10 minutes per week to charge it Maybe I can have mine run at the same time to alleviate any additional noise.. I’m going to have to have it installed on the opposite side of the home from where my gas line is located which I presume will add to the installation costs. I also have the landscaping and zoning issue and can have it located next to my central air unit. I’m on a corner lot and need to keep it away from the street side of the home.
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I've done this. I have a Generac 2400? (2200?) it does my whole house including A/C if needed. it came with the transfer smart switch, which means, when the power goes off, it automatically kicks on. When the power comes back on, it kicks off. It starts itself once per week to check itself out. it will bluetooth to your phone (though I haven't got that to work yet because of the position of the penny relative to my wifi etc) The generator cost me like $4200 as the guy selling it sold it to me at cost. I had an electrical contractor install it, which they were okay but they did have a tough time with the gas side. I dont know why. They charged $2500 which included cutting out a wide spot on the hill to put the thing in level, and a concrete pad to place it.
the thing that ticks me off the most is, before I had this, the power seemed to go out all the time, now it never seems to go out!!! I mean really!!
Relative to the noise, you can hardly hear it in our house, the neighbor next door? who knows who cares, I mean the power is out!!
Very happy with it, I just wish it would kick on more so I can act like a big shot!! LOL
My wife had a Generac installed a few years ago. I didn’t think we needed it. It has run for probably a total of less than two hours since that time.
Don’t place it near bedrooms because it still makes significant noise, although much less than a gasoline generator.
Don’t place it near bedrooms because it still makes significant noise, although much less than a gasoline generator.
You’re looking at about $10k all in with installation. I have a Generac that is hooked up to the gas line. When the power goes out (which happens a lot here in SE PA because it’s an older area with lots of above ground power lines), the generator automatically kicks on and I have 100% functionality of all systems in the house within 5 seconds of the power outage. We lose power anywhere from 2-4 times per year and when a big Nor’easter rolls through that knocks power out for up to 5 days at a time, we thank our lucky stars for the generator. Most of my neighbors are forced into hotels when this happens and we carry on like nothing has happened.
I live in a mature area with lots of big trees. By "mature" I mean power lines were put in on poles instead of buried. So a big storm results in trees going down over the power lines. We lose power for a couple of days once or twice a year. I had a big presentation this spring, via zoom, and power went out. I had to go to my new home while it was under construction to do the presentation. I"ve often gone to Starbucks or the local Marriott lobby but with COVID these were not available. Certainly a nice to have and a big selling point in many 'hoods.
bwifan
Well-Known Member
I am in the middle of putting a whole house stand by generator in right now... Several things for me I would suggest ... First cost works out and usually is correct that whatever you pay for your generator alone then double that number and that will be your all in cost. So if you pay $7,000 for your generator all in cost will be around $14-15,000. I am lucky my neighbor builds massive homes here on the ocean in south florida. Currently building a $25 million dollar home on the ocean here in Delray Beach. He was a Generac distributor and now is a Kohler. I am using his subs for mine. Get a good electrical contractor that will calculate what size generator you need. We decided we wanted to power the whole house including pool filter and also leave some room for growth as we are going to add on to our house. If you do not want to do the whole house the electrician will go over what you want to power using the generator and calculate the size of your generator based off of sq. ft and usage. My neighbor really believes in Kohler as he switched from Generac when Generac looked to put cheaper parts in their generators to increase profit margins. He started getting repair calls on units less than a year old. He has told me 20kw and smaller Generac are ok, so depending on your size I would look to Kohler or Generac. Anything over 20kw I would strongly recommend Kohler. I am installing a 30kw unit. Inline 4 cylinder engine. Kohler is known for making great generators over 20kw. I am having a 500 gallon liquid propane tank put in the ground to support the unit for fuel. My generator is very quiet when running and plenty powerful. I would highly suggest a service contract as well. Usual if anything goes wrong its usually when you are really using the unit and chances are so are many others and you will fall to the bottom of the repair list without a contract, which could mean days until they get to you to repair the unit. Any other questions let me know.... I also chose my neighbors propane guy as his whole operation is on propane back up. So if we lose power for a period of time say to a hurricane he will have full power to get his trucks to be able to make a delivery if I need propane. Calculations for me are 2.5 -3 weeks on 1 tank depending on how much I use with oven/dryer/pool filter/ac etc. running... Good Luck with it you will really enjoy the unit and peace of mind knowing you can run full power for months if needed on a generator.
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I’m also in SEPA in an area with lots of trees above the power lines. The unit will be located opposite side from my bedroom so the noise shouldn’t bother me. It’s closer to my family room and sunroom, and I already have a space in the landscaping there where it should fit. The Bluetooth or Appl connectivity might be a nice feature that I hadn’t considered. There is one guy who has done several homes in my neighborhood who is coming over today so this information is very useful in increasing my literacy on this subject. Thanks for weighing in. I hope I never need to use it but with all the hurricanes and nor’easters now it seems just like a matter of time and I’m getting too old to wrestle with manual garage doors, etc.
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bwifan
Well-Known Member
Keep in mind they would like to install the generator near where your power comes into the house, if you are going to use a ATS(Automatic Transfer Switch). There also is zoning set back requirements because of the exhaust they need to be a certain amount of feet away from operable windows. So depending on your property lines/power/other things will be where they can put the pad down to install it.
I would go with a size or two under what it would take to run everything electrical in the house. How often is 100% of your electrical load running at the same time? Never! Very seldom is 50% running at the same time.
Thanks but I’m prevented from installing it on the street side where the power comes into the house due to architectural regulations in my community. The other side of the home is less visible so the unit can be “hidden” among some mature landscaping. They will need to run the gas and power lines through the basement in order to connect to the meter. I have an area adjacent to my central air unit outside with no windows and it happens to be just across from my neighbor’s unit.
I live in SEPA and ours was barely used for the 5 years after Sandy. Its been run hard this spring/ summer including two full day+ outages. We used some $ left by my grandmother to go whole whole propane, over our old gasoline gene that did about half. Unfortunately I'm not on a gas line and unless you buy the tank, propane companies won't bury the big 250 gallon ones. My unit and 100 gallon tank are behind shrubs...but I only have about 36 hours of run time before needing a refill. Best investment we ever made. When you need it, you need it.
The exercise time can be adjusted on a Generac. Mine runs for five minutes at noon every other week. The purpose is lubrication not battery charging. Generacs have a battery charger.
I put a Honeywell 15kw generator in my house 2 months before Sandy hit. It probably has over 200 hours of run time since then and still runs like a champ. They are made by Generac so parts are pretty much the same. Kohler is a good brand along with Cummins. I'd stay away from Briggs & Stratton. I went with the Honeywell because it had the automatic transfer switch and a 5 year warranty vs. a 3 year for Generac at the time. Total cost for me was $4500, which included the unit and installation.
Sizing is important, as I see a lot of people put 20kw generators in when they could get away with a smaller one to run their whole house.
Sizing is important, as I see a lot of people put 20kw generators in when they could get away with a smaller one to run their whole house.
Kohler quote 2018...12.8. Generac just completed 12k for 22W which is standard. The Generator costs $3500. Labor and the variables include layout and difficulty and distance of running electric and making NG connections. It took 4 guys 10 hours to install. Recommend Chico Electric highly in the Mont, Chesco, Delaware county area of PA.
Sharing some details as I am in this process myself: met w/ 2 contractors today and received quotes for:
- Cummings Quiet connect 17kw generator. Total cost $9,800
- Generac 16 kw generator w/lockout on central air conditioning to assure air conditioning only starts when generator load will permit. Cost $9,100
Details: house has gas and electric service entrances and panel on opposite sides of house. Cheaper to run electric wire connections than gas line so locating generator closer to gas supply side,
Bad news: whole house generators are in HIGH demand causing a warehouse shortage. (Sept. version of spring toilet paper??) Installation time for Cummings is 60 days. Generac is unknown but soonest possible is January 2021!!
Background: looking at standby generator as reliability of our electrical service is deteriorating with 3 interruptions in last 60 days alone. As we have a private water well when we loose electric we also are without water and sewer service. The distribution line serving our house is a radial line rather than a loop. This results in a tree on the line causing interruption to all downstream customers. Our house is on a wooded hilltop in south central NY just across the PA line. Ash trees are a major component of the forest composition and they are dying rapidly due to the emerald ash borer. These trees falling branches are the principle cause of electric outages during wind events. The frequency of these will only increase as more ash trees succumb to the ash beetle. Our house is located in an old growth forest environment which was reason we built here 45 years ago. Enjoyed the trees until the ash succumbed to the beetle this year. Had to have 24 trees average height 85 feet removed this week to protect falling into house and small barn. I see tens of thousands of dead ash trees on our hilltop. Many located adjacent to electric line but OUTSIDE of right of way which electric company has rights/obligation to maintain. These dying ash trees will cause increasing outages over the next several years and is the reason we are installing the standby generator. Thankful natural gas was extended to our area 8 years ago to power standby generator.
bwifan
Well-Known Member
Good point... I went for a 2nd quote here in FL just for fun and no one even called back. I called places 4-5 times to get a quote and never heard back. Saw a crew in the neighborhood installing last week a generator my neighbor ordered in March... Stopped to talk to the crew they said it's unreal here the demand and backorder loads. So many snowbirds did not go back north with Covid and stayed and all decided they needed generators. The demand is absolutely crazy and literally Generac crew told me minimum 6 months here in FL to even get a generator and have it installed. Basically next hurricane season you will get one installed just in time...
Yeah I don’t have an estimate yet, but they said it would be the end of the year at the earliest for an installation. That probably means the price will suck too except that the same firm has done most of the houses where I live and knows all the ropes.
We had a Generac unit installed at our hunting camp (not much of a "camp" at 10K ft2) a couple years ago. 200 amp capacity, which I believe is overkill as we have most of our lighting converted to LED and we only have a couple of refrigerators/freezers and no central A/C, but the gas lease money tends to burn a hole in some of our member's pockets. We run ours out of a propane tank separate from the tank we use for our hot water heat.
One of our members is a Lowes store manager, and I believe we got a great price in comparison to the other bid we had. Lowes works with contractors that install the unit to the customers requirements. I would check with Lowes to price compare, especially if you or someone in your family is a veteran, as veterans get a 10% discount at Lowes.....
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The quote I got for the Generac unit was from Lowes. One point that surprised me is that Lowes requires full payment at time of signing contract. However due to the high demand for units they cannot commit to an install by date. Present estimate is Jan 2021 but with no certainty. Seems bad business practice to require full payment up front but no commitment for time of completion of work. I wanted to take advantage of Lowes 5% discount for payment via Lowes card to save $150. Seems better option is to go with their offer of 0% financing for 24 months
In our case in our Florida house installation was the big cost issue. We have a 3 story interior townhouse. Toll Brothers in their infinite wisdom put the electric meter in the front and the gas meter in the back. The high end Generac that we were looking at was about 5k. The cheapest installation quote was over 18k because of the placement of the meters. Needless to say we passed.
The cost of these vs benefit is pretty nutty.
$10,000 buys a lot of hotel stays, even if its 3 nights a year.
If your averaging more like 1 night per year or less a power outage is a greatvtime to just take a spontaneous road trip.
$10,000 buys a lot of hotel stays, even if its 3 nights a year.
If your averaging more like 1 night per year or less a power outage is a greatvtime to just take a spontaneous road trip.
bwifan
Well-Known Member
Been without power for 2 weeks here in FL... friends have been without power for more than 3 weeks... Ever see what a pool looks like down here when the filter doesn't run? A nice 90 degree house with high humidity is a breeding ground for black mold. What if someone you know needs electricity for medical condition like dialysis daily? I don't like having tons of food spoil to throw out only to buy all new food to fill the freezers and have another hurricane come a week later and loose power again and all the new food you bought spoils again wasting time and money. I can go on and on with examples.... So if you want to pass on a generator go ahead but for me I sleep well at nights knowing I can live normally because of my generator.
I would love to have a whole house generator. We went through Katrina without electricity for 2 weeks. Came home to 2 spoiled refrigerators and a freezer, plus a pool that was completely black with major tree debris under the dark water. Definitely would have been worth having electricity. Kids are grown now and out of the house so for the future the Mrs and I will take the short road trip to a hotel or visit friends should the need come up again.
I received two estimates today for the generac. The 22kw for $8800, or the 16kw for $7700. Both include installation, permits, concrete pad, 5 year warranty, etc and installation by the end of the year. The installer said the smaller of the two should be sufficient even for my central air, and the larger would handle any electrical load I might have in the house which I don’t think is too high. Given the relative price of the two I’ll probably go with the bigger one however. I expected the installation might be higher because of the length of the connection for the electric and gas and I know what I’m really paying for is peace of mind. The generators themselves list for just over or under $5000 depending on the size. Since Covid I’m not spending money on travel or vacations so I might as well make my home as comfortable as I can. Reactions?
Peace of mind that you'll have power is very important, especially as you grow older.
Seems reasonable. $1100 difference. I’d do some research on the loudness and go where your head leads you. Seems to be right on most thoughts posted here
What are everyone’s thoughts on the whole home batteries? I will need a new roof in next 7-10 years and thinking I will put panels on too. I feel like batter technology is moving at such a good pace I have no need for a generator and the sun will keep coming up enough to maintain the batteries.
bwifan
Well-Known Member
I did the same... I went with the larger generator since it was about a $1,000 difference ... for me and you seem the same way I wanted the whole house to be able to be used with the generator. I agree as I get older I like my comforts. So I wanted the AC/Dryer/Oven/Pool filter etc all to be able to run plus we are putting on an addition so we wanted the extra room to handle all the additions we are putting on the house. Enjoy it, it does give great peace of mind.
Well... in many areas the Electric Company will not pay you for the additional electricity you put into the grid, and they do not allow you to run your house during a power outage - your panels feed the grid. Been hearing a lot of people in CA, AZ, NM, NV, UT, and other states found out when the electric companies started 'rolling brown-outs'
https://homegenerators.cummins.com/
https://homegenerators.cummins.com/find-a-dealer
Not sure if this brand has been discussed. Cummins / Onan has been around for some time. I can't really tell you much about their whole house systems. I've just heard good things about the mobile generator units.
https://homegenerators.cummins.com/find-a-dealer
Not sure if this brand has been discussed. Cummins / Onan has been around for some time. I can't really tell you much about their whole house systems. I've just heard good things about the mobile generator units.
After Hurricane Sandy laid waste to the East coast, I purchased a portable generator and converted it to natural gas. Harbor Freight 8750. The generator, the house hook-up and the natural gas conversation kit set me back less than $1000. I also live in an area with mature growth trees and use the generator a couple of times/year. It’s been a godsend. Benefits: Cheap, reliable, simple. Downside: Noise pollution.
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