Generac Guardian 14kW Home Backup: Don’t Oversize or Under-Size
Homeowners tend to underestimate or overestimate their power needs when researching the Generac Guardian 14kw home backup. Many don’t fully understand their power requirements or the generator sizing process, leading to a bigger-is-better mentality.
It’s a common pitfall. Why?
Some worry that a smaller generator won’t meet their power needs during an outage. They’ll opt for a larger unit to avoid potential issues. This is a typical all-or-nothing approach. You might want a generator that can power your entire house, including everything from the toaster to the clothes dryer.
This leads to purchasing a much larger generator than you’d ever realistically need for everyday use during an outage. It’s easy to overestimate your needs, thinking you’ll need more power than you actually need.
But this isn’t the only reason.
The Sales Pitch Behind a Generac Guardian 14kw Home Backup
Don’t let someone sell you a larger standby generator when a Generac Guardian 14kw home backup could be the solution.
A larger generator typically translates to a higher sale price, which means a bigger sales commission. This creates an incentive for someone to push you into larger unit. A dealership representative might highlight worst-case scenarios of extended outages or uncomfortable conditions. The dealership may emphasize how a larger generator ensures maximum comfort during any situation.
This might not reflect your reality. Make sure any dealership service representative only focuses on the perfect fit for your personal needs. Skilled and trustworthy generator salespeople are adept at understanding your concerns, rightly framing their recommendations around your questions and comments.
Not all generator salespeople are necessarily experts. It might seem they have a good grasp of the general features and benefits. Yet, they may not have deep technical knowledge to accurately assess your needs and calculate your exact wattage requirements.
Wattage can be a tricky concept when sizing a generator. Misunderstandings are a common reason people end up with oversized units. Running wattage refers to the amount of power an appliance uses to continuously operate. It’s like the amount of gas your car uses to maintain a steady speed on highways. Your wattage rating is typically listed in appliance manuals or on the side of your appliance.
Starting wattage is the surge of power an appliance needs to kick-start its motor or compressor. It’s the extra burst of power needed to get going from a brief electrical hiatus. The starting wattage can be significantly higher than the running wattage, sometimes two to three times higher.
Look for both the running wattage and starting wattage of your appliances. Use this mindset for refrigerators, freezers, air conditioners, pumps, and any other large appliances or devices.
Generator Sizing Factors: More Than Meets the Eye
Oversizing or under-sizing your generator needs is a common mistake when right-sizing for a Generac Guardian 14kw home backup. This can result in inefficiencies and potential issues.
The voltage and hertz frequency requirements of appliances, as well as a generator’s output voltage, are crucial variables. Generators operate at a specific hertz frequency, which must match your appliances’ requirements.
Also, the power factor of appliances affects generator sizing, with a low power factor requiring a larger generator. Generators need to handle quick electrical loads without overheating or tripping, which means their duty cycle is also key.
Your home’s climate, temperature, and altitude are also interesting factors. High temperatures can reduce generator performance, and high elevations can affect performance as well.
There’s more to all of this than meets the eye. Fuel type, noise levels, operating efficiency, load balancing, and maintenance and servicing are all important items to educate yourself on. Fortunately, you don’t have to do it alone. Your local Generac service dealer has the quick answers to all your questions.
Generac Guardian 14kw Home Backup: Consider the Whole Picture
For many Generac Guardian 14kw home backup owners, some appliances they wouldn’t normally consider using during an outage become crucial. Factoring these unforeseen events into your initial calculations will prevent you from burying a larger generator than you need.
When sizing a generator, it’s important to consider more than just the appliances you use every day. Also consider those that become crucial in rare circumstances. Forgetting the unexpected can lead to an undersized generator.
As homeowners, we tend to plan for routine life and household events, but not surprises. When considering electrical outages, people tend to focus on powering essential appliances they use daily. This includes refrigerators, lights, and maybe a sump pump in flood-prone areas.
However, power outages can happen during unusual times. A heavy rainstorm or wind gusts might take down strong, sturdy power lines nearby. That event might just coincide with you needing your sump pump to prevent basement flooding.
Our power needs can also shift with the seasons. Air conditioning usually isn’t needed in spring, but an unusual heatwave could make it essential. A winter outage might necessitate powering a space heater if your furnace is electric and doesn’t have the greatest capacity. Not accounting for these variations could leave you uncomfortable or even facing potential pipe bursts from freezing temperatures in winter.
In some cases, a generator’s importance goes beyond comfort. Some homeowners rely on medical equipment under their roof, which require continuous electricity. A power outage that intersects with such a critical need is a glaring example. Having a right-sized generator becomes a top priority.
“Choosing a generator to power your home is very different from choosing one for a camping trip,” says CNET. “Remember, standby generators are installed permanently at your home and provide backup electricity during an outage.”
How to Conduct a Thorough Appliance Inventory
Generac Guardian 14kw home backup owners systematically go through each room in the house, listing every appliance and electronic device. They’ll take note of items like lamps, TVs, computers, gaming consoles, and even electric toothbrushes.
For each individual device or appliance, you should find the running-wattage and starting-wattage ratings. While you’re not using your clothes dryer daily during outages, factoring it in for occasional use provides peace of mind. It avoids the frustration of having to wait for power to return for a simple task. Also, garage door openers, water pumps, and outdoor security lights can all add to your wattage requirements.
Take a comprehensive inventory of all potential electronics. This will give you a more accurate picture of your overall wattage needs. It helps in sizing your generator appropriately, avoiding the unnecessary expense of buying a larger-than-needed unit.
You can find the annual energy consumption of a product, as well as cost for operation, through a few steps. This includes estimating the number of hours per day an appliance runs. It can also entail finding the daily or annual energy consumption by using certain formulas.
“For detailed data on energy use, consider installing a whole-house energy monitoring system,” states the U.S. Department of Energy. “The features of these systems vary, and the cost and complexity depend on the circuits you want to monitor.” It also depends on the level of detail in the data, as well as the features available.
Taking these steps will help you size your generator appropriately. This will ensure management of not only your everyday needs, but also those surprise situations that life throws your way.
W. Danley Electrical
Where can I find a Generac Guardian 14kW home backup? At W. Danley Electrical, we stand out in the world of home backup generator solutions. We assist you throughout the entire process. We help prepare you for your installation, as well as obtaining permits, inspections, and assisting with repair and maintenance. At W. Danley Electrical, we also help you optimize and fine-tune your situation to determine the correct generator size. Get the most out of your investment.