What Appliances Can a Home Generator Powe
Knowing that backup power is automatically available is one of the main reasons to have a whole-house generator. Unsurprisingly, homeowners want to be confident that their generator will power everything needed. That leads them to wonder what appliances a home generator can power during an outage.
The Importance of Generator Sizing
Most stand-by home generators provide 7,000-20,000 watts of peak draw. For reference, a large central air conditioning unit by itself can draw 5,000 watts during the start of its cycle.
Likewise, you want to have enough wattage capacity to be confident that you won’t lose power if multiple systems hit peak cycles concurrently. Many homes in Florida have electric water heaters, and those can easily pile another 3,000-4,500 watts on top of the total load.
The good news is that you can always find a sufficiently large home generator to power all the appliances in a typical home. However, talk with one of our electricians about the load calculation for your household before choosing a particular home generator model to get the sizing right for all your appliances.
Essential Systems
Homeowners want to know that their generator can handle essential systems. This is especially the case here in Florida due to the seasonal hurricane risk.
HVAC Units
A full HVAC unit will operate fine with an appropriately sized generator.
Powering an HVAC during an outage is important in Florida for:
- Reducing the risk of heat stroke
- Preventing mold growth from high humidity
- Protecting vulnerable individuals, particularly those with health conditions
Note that an HVAC typically has a dedicated circuit. If you have a whole-panel transfer switch, this isn’t a big deal because every circuit in the house gets power from the generator whenever the power goes off. If you’re connecting the generator to an existing panel, our electricians will need to move essential circuits to a subpanel or a separate transfer switch. Nearly every Florida homeowner with an HVAC prioritizes connecting it to the backup power.
Refrigerators and Freezers
Having cold drinks and a safe food supply during an outage is important, especially during the multi-day outages that often come with the worst Florida weather. Knowing that backup power will be there also offers assurance, allowing you to buy in bulk. Connecting backup power to a refrigerator and freezer prevents waste and also eliminates a potential health and cleanup risk.
Water and Plumbing Systems
Florida homes frequently use more electricity in their water and plumbing systems than residences in other states. Electrical water heaters are especially common. Backup power ensures you’ll have hot water for bathing and doing dishes.
Many homes also have sump pumps to clear floodwater. Even on a regular day, it is good to know that water won’t pool. This becomes more important after heavy rains from storms and hurricanes. Backup power can support a well pump for drinking water. Likewise, it can power more advanced water filtration units that require electricity.
Medical Equipment
With the large retired population in this region, an above-average number of homeowners have essential medical equipment.
You should strongly consider a home generator if you require a system like a:
- CPAP
- Oxygen concentrator
- Ventilator
- Suction equipment
Uninterrupted power is also good to have for electric hospital-style beds and lifts.
Communication Systems
We live in a world dominated by electronic devices like cell phones, computers, modems, and satellite dishes. Staying in communication during a power outage makes a huge difference. Backup power can easily support most of these types of devices, with all but the most high-end computers not drawing enough wattage to pose a major problem. Especially if you work from home, backup power can pay for itself.
Kitchen Appliances
Even the smaller appliances in your kitchen make life more comfortable during an outage. A microwave, toaster, or blender lets you prepare food and drinks. If you have specific nutritional requirements, backup power for these devices keeps you from relying on less desirable options.
Electric cooktops and ovens are very common in Florida. You will appreciate the ability to make a warm meal when the weather is ceaselessly wet and the power is out for everyone else.
Laundry Machines
Your washer and dryer might not be the most important items during a short outage. If you spend the better part of a week without power clearing debris from your property and walking around in soaked soil, you will appreciate what clean and dry clothes can do for your morale. Air drying is rarely an option when the humidity level is through the roof following a storm.
EV Chargers
Notably, an EV charging station is a very demanding addition to a system running on backup power. However, the ability to charge an EV or even a plug-in hybrid can keep your vehicle going when gas stations are closed during prolonged outages. Some homeowners elect to have a second generator for the garage to power an EV charger. This is because Level 2 charges frequently pull 7,000-10,000 watts, easily taking up half of a large generator’s capacity.
Lights and Security
Modern lighting systems are typically very low-draw. The main challenge with adding lighting to a backup power system is the availability of circuits. With dedicated circuits for HVAC and refrigeration, smaller subpanels or transfer switches may only have room for a handful of lighting circuits.
Plan accordingly and target important areas like:
- Hallways
- Sidewalks
- Cooking spaces
- The living room
- Bedrooms
- Front and back entryways
- Carports and garages
It is also a good idea to have backup power for home security and safety systems. This includes cameras, alarms, and smoke and CO detectors.
Other Systems
Especially if you have a large-capacity home generator, you can usually power a number of other less essential appliances. Modern televisions, audio systems, and other home entertainment normally don’t draw a lot of power. A working dishwasher is also nice to have, if your generator offers enough extra capacity.
Consider rotating less essential appliances if you’re close to capacity. For example, wait until the cooler part of the night to run the dishwasher to avoid conflicting with the AC.
Mister Sparky proudly serves the people of Orlando, FL. We have been in business for decades, and homeowners trust our licensed technicians. If you want to discuss home generator options, don’t put up with any malarkey, call Mister Sparky.
