Calculate generator backup power needs

How to calculate your backup power needs

This guide to diesel engine generators and backup power generator sizing will help you decide what the minimal and/or maximal power needs are for your individual situation. You will need to choose if you want full, uniterrupted operation of all electrical appliances with some power to spare. This will mean a large emergency generator. Or you can choose the slightly less convenient, but much more economical option: An emergy operating modus where you will switch off some appliances and power users when running on generator power. This online info for sizing your needs should help to decide which diesel engine and backup power generator is best suited.

The indicated values are for your guidance only, some appliances may have a higher or lower power consuption, check the individual operating instructions or labels on the appliance to calculate the exact power consumed.

 

If you don't need an automatic power back-up that switches over immediately when mains power is lost, you can significantly reduce the size of your generator, by first switching off the appliances that consume a lot of power at start-up, then starting the emergency generator, and after it runs smoothly, adding one appliance after the other, leaving enough time between starting them, so that the power consumption for the newly switched on appliance is at the nominal running value.

Appliance Run Wattage Start Wattage
Minimal Emergency Requirements for a Basic Home:
Refrigerator 700 2800
Chest Freezer 500 2500
Lights 10 at 100 Watts 1000 1000
Microwave 1500W 1500 1500
Radio 100 100
Television 800 800
Gas Furnace Fan 1/2 hp 500 1250
Total Basic Power Needs
in watts (KW=1000 watts):
4850 9700
 
Additional power users:
Light Bulb 40 W 40 40
Light Bulb 60 W 60 60
Light Bulb 100 W 100 100
Light Bulb 150 W 150 150
Frying Pan, small 150 150
Frying Pan, large 500 500
Stove Electric (per Element) 1500 1500
Electric Oven 6500 6500
Coffee Maker 1100 1100
Mixer / Blender 500 500
Toaster 200 200
Dishwasher 1500 3750
Freezer 500 2500
Laundry Dryer Gas 500 1000
Laundry Dryer Electric 5500 6000
Hair Dryer 1500 1500
Stereo 120 120
TV, large 800 800
TV, small 100 100
VCR 150 150
Vacuum Cleaner 250 250
El. Water Heater 4500 4500
Sump Pump 0,5 hp 500 1250
Well Pump 1 hp 1000 2500
Well Pump 2 hp 2000 5000
Well Pump 3 hp 3000 7500
Air Conditioner 12000 BTU 2800 7000
Air Conditioner 24000 BTU 4200 10500
Air Conditioner 32000 BTU 5000 12500
Heat Pump or Electric Heat 10000 10000
El. Space Heater 1500 1500
Window Fan 250 250
Drill Motor, small 500 500
El. Motor 0,5 hp 500 1250
Electric Motor 1 hp 1000 2500
Electric Motor 2 hp 2000 5000

If you are calculation your power needs for a permanent generator set up, allow for generous additional capacity. Power needs usually increase over time, and to have your generator run at about 60 to 70% of nominal maximal output will let it run more economically and with less stress on all parts.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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