A Standby Generator Plan Starts With Your Priorities

When someone asks me what size standby generator they need, I start with a different question: What do you want working during an outage? A refrigerator, lights, heating or cooling, medical equipment, and other household needs do not all carry the same priority for every family.

Start with the actual loads

A home's square footage alone does not tell us its electrical demand. The equipment that may run at the same time, and what it takes to start larger motors, are part of sizing. Generac's sizing guidance also starts with the running and starting requirements of the appliances and systems you want to power.

Some households want selected circuits backed up. Others want broader coverage. Either way, it helps to write down the essentials first and then list the conveniences you would like if capacity allows. That makes the conversation clear before anyone chooses equipment.

What load management can do

Load management helps a generator handle larger demands in a planned order. For example, Generac describes an air-conditioning management module that temporarily holds connected HVAC loads when the generator starts, then restores them in priority order at timed intervals. The details depend on the equipment and the home's design; it is not a promise that every appliance can run together.

A qualified electrical contractor can review the panel, the intended loads, the transfer equipment, and the household's priorities. That is where a useful backup-power plan begins. In the Nevada and greater North Texas area, you can reach me through Freddie America Electrical to discuss what you want powered during an outage.

Which three things would you want to keep running first?