If you live in an area that is prone to power outages due to weather or repeated failures within the power grid, you may want to consider a backup generator for your home. There are many different types of generators that are available that will do the job, however, you must do some research before making a decision on just what to buy. Buying a home emergency backup generator is a substantial purchase so you want to insure the model you choose is the right one for your needs.

Generators range from small portable units that power a few essential appliances to complete home units that keep your entire house up and running. You can choose a small portable model that will keep your refrigerator and television running in the event of an outage, or one that will power everything in the house that runs on electricity.

A portable unit of about 5,000 watts (5 kilowatts, or 5KW) will be able to run the basic appliance and lights in your home. You'll have lights and you'll be able to make sure the food in your freezer doesn't spoil. These types of emergency generators require a long extension cord from the unit to the appliances you want to run.

A whole-home unit of 20,000 watts will power everything in a medium sized home. The larger the house, the more power you'll need. These whole home units are normally installed on a concrete pad located close to the house and are wired into the main electrical panel. If it detects a failure in the power supply, it will automatically switch on to provide your home with electricity. These larger models typically run on propane.

No matter what type of model you choose, you'll need to know how much wattage is pulled by the appliances you want to power in the event of an outage. You should be able to find this information in appliance owner's manuals. Also, you'll want to calculate how many light bulbs you will want to keep powered throughout the home. A 60-watt bulb requires 60 watts. Total all of the wattage of everything you want to keep operating.

Once you do this, you'll also need to take into account "startup wattage" or power surge. Larger appliances pull many more watts when they start compared to while they are running. A refrigerator, for example, pulls twice as much starting wattage than what is required to operate it.

Generators typically have extra surge capacity that accounts for startup wattage. If you want to power 3,000 watts, then you'll probably be okay with a 5,000-watt unit. If you want to power 4,000 watts, however, you may want to upgrade to a 6,000-watt standby unit when taking into account the startup power surge.

Before purchasing a backup home emergency generator, consult an equipment specialist or an electrician that is experience in installing generators.

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