Generator Buying Guide
Once upon a time, a generator was a nice tool to have on hand for the occasional outage. But power outages tied to extreme weather are making generators more essential by the day. One estimate from Climate Central, a nonprofit news organization, found that across the U.S., weather-related outages increased by 69 percent in the past decade, based on government and utility company data.
How CR Tests Generators
Performance
To test generators for performance, our expert engineers load up each model with a variety of essentials you might want to power during an outage, like a space heater, refrigerator, or window air conditioner. We make sure the generator can handle the load it promises and also determine what happens when a sudden spike in voltage hits, like what would happen if the compressor in your refrigerator kicked on when the generator was already close to capacity. The best models take that in stride, while others bog down or even stall. We also look at how easy it is to move and use a generator, as well as how efficiently it uses gasoline and how long it runs on a single tank.
Safety
Consumer Reports runs each generator through a variety of scenarios designed to capture the ways in which a consumer might inadvertently misuse a generator. We conduct these tests in a custom-built vessel on the grounds of our Yonkers, N.Y., test facility. The vessel is wired with calibrated carbon monoxide sensors, and we record CO levels throughout the container when a generator is on, noting how quickly each generator turns off when the levels become potentially dangerous. For more details, read “How Consumer Reports Tests Generators for Safety.”
Know Your Power Priorities
Generators are sold by power output, as measured in watts. The amount of power they deliver determines how many electronics and appliances you can run at once; figure on about 5,000 watts for a typical home. The delivery and quality of power—both of which we test and score in our generator ratings—determines how well they’ll run. A generator with a high output that struggles with power delivery or quality might stall or trip a circuit when it’s bogged down.
Start by making a list of what you don’t want to go without while the power’s down, then add up wattages to get you in the right ballpark. Here are some rough numbers for common essentials:
Refrigerator: 600 watts
Sump pump: 750 to 1,500 watts
Portable heater: 1,500 watts
Window air conditioner: 1,000 watts
Lights: 5 to 80 watts (per bulb)
Computer: 60 to 300 watts
Vist For More : Watt Insider
For a more complete list, check out our report on.
Types of Generators
You can go one of four ways. Home standby generators are installed permanently, can run on natural gas or propane, and kick on automatically during an outage. Portable and inverter generators can be moved around, and they come in different sizes. Some are better for transporting to a tailgate, while others are better kept on your property as a backup power source. And portable power stations are large batteries that store electricity for when you need it, the only option for someone who lives in an apartment, say, and has no way to safely run a generator outdoors.
