June 15, 2023

Should I purchase a Portable Generator or a Home Standby Generator?

Portable or Home Standby Generator? Everyday are seeing more and more reasons to purchase emergency backup generators for our homes.  Whether it is rolling power outages or severe weather, your power can go out at any time.  The question is…Do I chose a Portable Generator or a Home Standby Generator?

Here are some advantages and disadvantages to owning both systems to help you make the best decision for you and your family.

Portable Generators

Advantages:

• Portable generators do not require you to have a yard to place the generator. A portable generator can be stored away in your garage or a closet until you need it.
• You can add a manual switch to your home to connect your generator into your electrical power box as you would a home standby system.
• The costs to purchase and install a transfer switch for a portable generator is much lower than the cost of installation of a Home Standby Generator.

Disadvantages:

• Portable generators are not designed for whole home power. When your power goes out, you will only be able to power up a few items at a time.   There are also no-load management options available for this back up power design.
• Your home will not power up automatically when the power goes out. You will have to turn the switch on to change your home’s operation from utility power to generator power when the power goes out and you will be required to switch it off when the power returns.
• Your generator will require manual refueling. Since your generator is not connected to a large propane tank or natural gas you will have to fill the tank with gasoline, diesel, or switch your small propane tank yourself.
• Portable generators do not have sound barriers to quiet the generator when it is running. You will have to purchase a separate sound barrier to prevent the noise from bothering your neighbors. There are inverter generators which are designed to be ultraquiet; however, these generators are not designed to deliver as much power to your home, usually only up to 7.5 kW.
• Portable generators are not designed for long life span (warranties are generally only 1-3 years) and finding help with repairs can be difficult.

Home Standby Generators

Advantages:

• Most Home standby generators are designed to power your whole home when an outage occurs. You can chose smaller options that will not power your entire home to save money and use load management modules to help your generator prioritize which appliances are powered when the power is down.
• Your generator is permanently connected to a fuel source and your fueling source is set up to handle longer periods of time without power. Natural gas does not require refueling and you can purchase (or rent) large enough Propane tanks to handle several days to weeks without power.   In addition, your propane company can be called out to refuel your tank if you run out.   Diesel generators can run continuously for several days without requiring refueling.
• Home standby generators (HSB generators)are designed for extended life and the manufacturers train dealers to be experts in repairing their equipment. Certified technicians are the only ones that can cover warranty repairs.  Warranties on a HSB generator are typically 5-10 years.
• HSB generators can be connected to manual or automatic transfer switches. Most of these generators are connected to Automatic Transfer Switches allowing the generator to start up and shut down on its own rather than requiring you to do this manually.  This makes it possible to keep important appliances running if you are not home when the outage occurs.
• Your generator is permanently mounted outside which means that you do not have to set up the generator every time there is an outage.
• Home standby generators are quieter than portable generators

Disadvantages:

• Home standby generators require space in your yard for placement. The government and  manufacturers have  guidelines for the safe placement of standby generators.
• Requires the placement of a propane tank if your home does not have access to natural gas or if you do not want to install a diesel backup generator.

Home standby generators are more expensive to purchase and install; however, the costs are proportionate to the amount of power produced by these systems.

Learn more at AMPRO Insights!