Table Of Content
- Now Is the Best Time to Buy a Home Generator—Here’s Why
- Breaking Down Solar Panel Cost: California-Specific Factors and Considerations
- $6,000 – $11,000 average total cost installed (unit & labor)
- Guardian
- Best Mobile Monitoring: Briggs & Stratton 12,000-Watt Automatic Air Cooled Standby
- Best Whole House Generators – Backup Power for Your Home

The PowerSmart Series from Briggs & Stratton is a compact, portable generator line. If you’re looking for a small, affordable generator to take on camping trips, a PowerSmart generator could be a great choice. The standout feature of the Briggs & Stratton 12,000-Watt model is its mobile controls. You can monitor the power output on your smartphone, so you’ll know how much power it’s generating, when it turns on and when it shuts off.
Now Is the Best Time to Buy a Home Generator—Here’s Why
The Briggs & Stratton 12,000 Watt Generator packs quite the punch for a narrow footprint unit and ships at a solid price. Though one of the smallest generators on our best-of list, this product delivers a solid 12,000 watts and comes in as one of the best ranked generators by customer reviews. With preview, you could see a reduction in your electric utility bills of up to 20%. So not only will this generator keep your home powered during an outage, but it could also save you money on your energy bills every month.
Breaking Down Solar Panel Cost: California-Specific Factors and Considerations
On average, a 21 kW natural gas generator costs about $90 per day to run, while propane and diesel units of the same size cost $220 and $175 per day, respectively. Many generators today are dual fuel, meaning they can take either propane or gas. Dual fuel engines are helpful for their versatility — even if you usually use propane, natural gas might be more accessible, especially during a natural disaster. Some standby generators can also be hooked up to your gas line at home, so you don’t have to worry about manually refueling. In addition to these traditional generators, there are also whole-house solar generators. A solar generator stores energy from sunlight in batteries and then releases that energy into an electrical panel when you turn the generator on.
Best Solar Generators of 2024 - CNET
Best Solar Generators of 2024.
Posted: Fri, 22 Mar 2024 07:00:00 GMT [source]
$6,000 – $11,000 average total cost installed (unit & labor)
In contrast to a standby or portable generator, a whole house generator will power many more appliances for as long as you can provide it with fuel. The Champion aXis is designed to start automatically when your home’s power is lost, evenly manage the electric load and operate at sub-zero temperatures or in extreme heat. While this generator does not have a remote monitoring system, it does come with a 10-year limited warranty, offering more than double every other brand on this list. Whole house generators can help you disconnect from the grid entirely or keep your appliances running during extended power outages or emergencies when a portable or standby generator would otherwise fail. Gasoline and diesel are the most conventional fuel sources for portable generators, but alternate fuel options and solar generators are increasingly making their way to market.
Guardian
The best generator manufacturers produce a wide range of products, so it can be tricky to pick the right model. Due to packaging, shipping costs, and other factors, some items cannot be shipped and are offered exclusively through Local Pickup. You will be prompted to enter the name, mobile phone, and email address of the person who will be picking up the order during checkout.
It isn’t equipped for remote monitoring, but a clear gas gauge is on the side to measure your fuel level. The unit weighs a little over 200 pounds and has sturdy wheels for easy transportation. In particular situations where waiting for the power to come back on could pose a special danger, this generator makes sure all your needs are met. It comes with a five-year warranty and has Wi-Fi capabilities, which allow you to check the status of your generator at all times, affording peace of mind in storm season. The Generac 22-kW is designed to power your entire house, which means you will have every comfort you’re used to while waiting for your regular power to come back on.
Best Mobile Monitoring: Briggs & Stratton 12,000-Watt Automatic Air Cooled Standby
Add up the starting watts for each appliance, and multiply the total by 1.5 to create a margin of safety. A small to medium size U.S. household averages a minimum of 5,000 to 7,500 watts, so many generators are sold with 7,500 to 10,000-watt outputs. Whether your home is prone to power outages due to extreme weather or because an ineffective electric utility has short-circuited, a home generator is a great choice for any homeowner who wants to be protected.

Like the other Generac model on this list, it has a comprehensive five-year warranty and runs quiet self-tests to ensure peace of mind during a power outage. Like other standby generators, this Champion model will turn on automatically in a power outage. It sells for around $3,300, which is affordable compared to similar home generators, but if you want a high power output to run a larger home, it might not be the right generator for you. A full gas tank can provide 12 hours of run time at 50% load during a power outage.
Chevy Silverado EV turns into a mobile generator with GM's new home energy bundle - The Verge
Chevy Silverado EV turns into a mobile generator with GM's new home energy bundle.
Posted: Thu, 18 Apr 2024 07:00:00 GMT [source]
Don’t Get Caught Off-Guard! Get a Generator! Learn More From Expert Brad Ford About These Devices.
As if that’s enough, you get remote diagnostics that let you monitor the generator from your mobile phone or computer. Moreover, you can turn the generator on or off according to your needs with the intelligent load management. The feature allows you to have certain items on an others off like you would with a much larger unit. Moreover, Generac allows you to monitor your generator’s status from anywhere in the world with the mobile link connectivity feature on your phone, tablet or PC.
Most people should have no issues moving it around, but there is a wheel kit you can buy for around $50. This generator only runs on gasoline, so you’ll need to have a supply on hand. It also relies on a recoil start, which might not be as convenient as an electric start for some users. A whole house generator lasts 15 to 30 years and provides 10,000 to 30,000 hours of use with proper maintenance.
You can also use mobile monitoring to schedule tests and track the generator’s status. If you’re not familiar with standby generators, here are some pointers on what to look out for when buying and operating. The best whole house generator is the one that fits best with the power requirements of your home and the appliances you need it to run. You should expect to pay between $1,500 and $7,500 for a whole house generator, including installation.
Instead, your house will be close to fully functional, as if nothing happened at all. It’s important for a homeowner to ask a potential contractor some questions before hiring them. As always, homeowners will want to ask about licensing and insurance (and the licensing and insurance of any subcontractors or workers who are expected to take part in the project). The following are some additional questions specific to generator installations that homeowners can ask about whole-home generator costs. After the purchase and installation, however, there are still some costs for homeowners to keep in mind.