Will A 20kw Generator Run My House? What Can I Run? (List)
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Choosing the right power generator is the key to getting a flawless power supply. But it is tricky to find out right power generator to run a full house.
While you are planning to buy a generator, the first question that pops into your brain is will a 20 kW generator run my house?
In this article, we will talk about everything you need to know to buy a generator to run your house.
Will a 20kw generator run my house?
Generally, an average house requires nearly 8000-9000Watts/hour. So, a 20KW generator can run a normal house for up to 2 hours.
But if the house contains a large number of appliances that require more power than 20000 watts, then it is not ideal for picking a 20KW generator.
Recommended generators:
- Portable Generator: Pulsar PG15KVTWB Dual Fuel Portable Generator
- Standby Generator: Generac Home Standby Generator Air Cooled with Whole House 200 Amp Transfer Switch
How do know appliances require power?
Many of us don’t know how to find out appliances require energy, right? Well, the power requirement is usually written on the user manual of your appliances.
But if you lose your manual, don’t worry; here, we are sharing an energy chart for the average energy requirement for a particular appliance.
But you must remember that based on the particular model, the energy consumption ratio can slightly vary.
| Appliance Name | Starting Energy |
|---|---|
| Refrigerator | 800-1200watt |
| Space Heater | 1200-1500watt |
| Air Conditioner | 800-1500watt |
| Television | 50-100 watt |
| Lights(Individual) | 5-100watt |
| Microwave | 600-1000watt |
| Washing machine | 500-800watt |
| Internet Router | 5-10watt |
By considering this power requirement, you can easily understand whether a 20KW generator can run your house appliances or not.
You can also understand how long backup you will get from a 20KW generator.
Suppose you want to run a refrigerator, washing machine, and space heater together during a power outage. To run all these appliances, you need a 3300watt power supply per hour.
So, in that case, a 20KW generator is capable of delivering up to 6 hours back up continuously.
Now see how easy to count your required energy? According to your required power and maximum backup duration, you can select the generator.
How To Pick The Right Size Generator For My House?
Well, now you must be curious about how to find out the right size generator for particularly your house.
The perfect generator size depends on some factors. You need to consider a few factors to discover the perfect generator to run your house.
Every appliance of your house consumes a certain amount of energy.
So to keep everything running during a power outage, you need a generator that can supply the combined wattage requirement.
The generator power ultimately depends on how many appliances you want to run.
Required Power
The first thing you need to consider is the power requirement for your house before buying a generator.
According to a flat size or needs, we have different sizes of electric appliances.
On average most house requires nearly 8000-10000 Watts of energy per hour. You can count all the appliances’ required wattage, and the result is your required power.
Well, a 20KW generator can deliver a maximum of 20000 wattages per hour. But obviously, there is nearly 300-500 watt power dropped is common.
But a 20KW generator is powerful enough to meet an average house demand. It can give backup for up to 2 hours.
To get a better backup, you need to reduce the load. If you run a generator on a 50% load, the run time increases.
Especially in a time of a natural disaster, you need to handle a long-time power outage.
So it is better to run only essential appliances such as lights, refrigerator instead of AC, Heater for long hours.
However, if you use lots of appliances and require nearly 18000-20000 watts power supply per hour, it is better to go for a 30KW or above power generator.
That gives you a better backup and flawless power supply. But if you require up to 12000Watt energy, then 20KW is ideal for you.
You should not buy an extra-large generator to get longtime backup because that increases fuel costs.
So, don’t go for buying a too small or too large generator. Choose the right one based on your required energy to get the best services.
If you choose a low-power generator, it has a high risk of overheating or damaging expensive items.
That is why determining the required power is a must. You can safely run all the appliances if you measure your whole house’s power requirements.
Calculate Generator Size For Your Home
You will be glad to know that the calculation is very simple.
So from now say goodbye to guesswork and calculate your generator size by yourself to make your purchase worthy.
Follow the below steps to calculate your generator size for your apartment.
Write down all the appliance names and their required energy. For example
- Refrigerator -1000watt
- Space heater- 1200 watt
- Lights 8pc -200watt
If you don’t find the starting energy, you must notice the model number. Search online with the model number you will get the required power quickly.
Sum the total appliances required energy. Now the result is your minimum generator size.
To get a better backup or flawless service, you should buy a two times larger power generator than the required wattage.
For example, your house appliance consumes 10000 watts per hour. You should buy a 20KW generator in that scenario to get two hours of run time.
But minimum go for a generator that is above 12k watts; otherwise, you have a high risk of damaging your products.
If you do this calculation and buy a generator that is three-time or two times higher than your required energy, there is no chance of appliance damage or power interruption.
So, do this easy calculation to keep your appliance safe and maximize the generator run time based on needs.
Final Word
So now you get the million-dollar answer on will a 20KW generator run my house.
A 20W generator is a powerful device that can run almost all home appliances, and yes, it can run your house. The maximum power it can deliver is nearly 19500watts.
But if your home requires more than 20000 watts of power supply, then you need a larger generator than 20KW.
So the calculation is a must to choose the right size generator according to your home.
Follow our easy formula and grab your perfect size generator to run all the essential appliances continuously during a power outage.
