Whole house Generator options??

Just had power restored following a 50 hour outage. A 12KW diesel EPW genset consumed about .5 gallon per hour providing backup power to my house. First day the air conditioning was running; after that it got cool enough so that the unit did not kick on much.

I’m estimating average power consumption of 4500 watts, with a peak of 12KW (dryer running).
 
@JohnFreeman

I'm not posting this as a smart__s response to your post earlier in this thread. This is merely for informational purposes to assist anyone interested in putting in a permanent whole house generator and connecting it to a Piedmont Natural Gas line. Here's a copy of my latest gas bill that references the previous month's bill.

The generator ran continuously for 55 hours while the power was out. We were not home for most of the day the day power was restored. However, we lived in the house normally the previous two days, Thursday and Friday. The power was restored Saturday evening but we were not home until around 11:30pm.

So it basically cost us $55.00 to have electricity for 55 hours during a power outage. Not too bad in my opinion.

IMG_20181105_142134403.jpg
 
I would pay a dollar a day for electricity or should I say AC when it is hot. Plus I would save a ton in food spoilage.
 
I would too. And I'd probably pay 27.50$ a day to have it for a while (which is that it cost above). However that's 825$ a month, so you can see what a bargain centrally supplied electricity is.

No "smart ___" taken, that's really good info, and it's a bargain in the short term (and way cheaper than hotels)

That having been said, I'd want to get my commercial service repaired ASAP! :)

John


KnotRight said:
I would pay a dollar a day for electricity or should I say AC when it is hot. Plus I would save a ton in food spoilage.
Click to expand...
 
Last edited:
KnotRight said:
I would pay a dollar a day for electricity or should I say AC when it is hot. Plus I would save a ton in food spoilage.
Click to expand...
$1/day would be nice. He paid roughly $1/hr, though. :p
 
Tarheel Generator did a site visit today. Planning a 20kw Briggs and Stratton. Transfer switch and load shedding on the upstairs heat and water heater. Within reason (turn the heat off when cooking, etc...), It should run everything else.

When it comes time to replace our downstairs 4 ton unit (within the next year likely) I'm planning to go with a dual fuel system that replaced the strips with gas heat.

Generator install is going to be $10k ballpark including the installation and hookup of a buried 300 gal tank.
 
Last edited:
It's worth noting that I've been in touch with four separate electrical contractors over the last three months and this was the first company that actually called me back with a date and time for an estimate.

I called them in early December.....
 
A friend of the family that lives on OBX had a 1000 gallon under ground propane tank at his previous house. His neighbors thought it was funny. Until the power went out in a storm and it took days to get power back. Being a fire captain he knew well what is needed in such times. He was still kind to his neighbor though. He shared cooked food with them then he had space for some of their perishable foods in his freezer.
At my parents' home, where I grew up in NH, my father had a 10KW unit install and a 300 gallon propane tank. Auto transfer switch too. One nasty ice storm left the neighborhood without power for over a week. Power company didn't realize power was out at their house too because the lights were on thanks to the Generac. It used 1/3 of a tank in that week.
 
Given that I'm planning to convert to a dual fuel heat pump in the next year or so I may actually upgrade that buried tank order from a 300 to a 500.
 
Gonna talk to my propane guy about that and the difference in cost. I'd imagine it's not incredibly different since I'm not actually purchasing the tank, just paying for the installation cost. Just a bigger hole to dig.....
 
rantingredneck said:
Tarheel Generator did a site visit today. Planning a 20kw Briggs and Stratton. Transfer switch and load shedding on the upstairs heat and water heater. Within reason (turn the heat off when cooking, etc...), It should run everything else.

When it comes time to replace our downstairs 4 ton unit (within the next year likely) I'm planning to go with a dual fuel system that replaced the strips with gas heat.

Generator install is going to be $10k ballpark including the installation and hookup of a buried 300 gal tank.
Click to expand...

That is a competitive price for such a system. I have seen similar quotes recently from my favorite electrical company for similar systems.

Since two recent power outages, several of my neighbors are getting whole house systems.
 
Yeah, when hurricane Michael came through I was flushing toilets with buckets of water from the creek and bathing with water heated on a backpacking stove. It's nice to know that I CAN do that. I just don't WANT to do that.......
 
@rantingredneck

I'm curious how much a buried tank would cost to install. My house has a buried 500 gallon tank, and I wouldn't mind having a second one where I could run one low, then switch to a full tank.
 
I have a 22KW whole house unit with auto transfer switch. Dual heating system. When power is out I don’t mind paying for LP so that I can stay cool or warm. Worth the cost when you get old and cranky.
 
Scott88 said:
@rantingredneck

I'm curious how much a buried tank would cost to install. My house has a buried 500 gallon tank, and I wouldn't mind having a second one where I could run one low, then switch to a full tank.
Click to expand...

I was quoted $1200 to bury a 300 gallon. That was with Payne Oil in Graham NC.

An above ground tank (smaller but I can't remember the size) was going to be closer to 300.

That's including the cost to connect it to the generator.
 
rantingredneck said:
I was quoted $1200 to bury a 300 gallon. That was with Payne Oil in Graham NC.

An above ground tank (smaller but I can't remember the size) was going to be closer to 300.

That's including the cost to connect it to the generator.
Click to expand...

That's better than I was expecting, I use Payne as well. Thanks.
 
Scott88 said:
That's better than I was expecting, I use Payne as well. Thanks.
Click to expand...

We use Payne at our rental house (which was our residence from 1999 until 2015.) We've been very happy with them through the years. Certainly less expensive than their competitors around here.
 
fishgutzy said:
A friend of the family that lives on OBX had a 1000 gallon under ground propane tank at his previous house. His neighbors thought it was funny. Until the power went out in a storm and it took days to get power back. Being a fire captain he knew well what is needed in such times. He was still kind to his neighbor though. He shared cooked food with them then he had space for some of their perishable foods in his freezer.
At my parents' home, where I grew up in NH, my father had a 10KW unit install and a 300 gallon propane tank. Auto transfer switch too. One nasty ice storm left the neighborhood without power for over a week. Power company didn't realize power was out at their house too because the lights were on thanks to the Generac. It used 1/3 of a tank in that week.
Click to expand...

We have a Generac 20kw whole-house generator with a propane tank in the back yard. It hasn't been needed much over the years, but I was very thankful for it when we lost power for a few days after Hurricane Michael. The only problem was that my propane bill was pretty high that month.
 
I really want to get a stand alone unit for our house. Our house is pretty small at 800 sqft, uses gas for the water heater and stove, and only has a 1/2 ton gas pack. We are on a well, so between the well and the gas pack, those would be our two biggest draws. I honestly think if I could plug my racetrack generator in to the house it would run most of the house, just not all at once. It's a 6800 watt Honda, with a 7500 peak. I cant get to either the dryer outlet or the breaker box with it though, hence the reason I'm really leaning towards doing a stand alone/whole house generator. I think I should be able to get away with a fairly small generator given our electrical demands.
 
jim borzumato said:
i called Generac they sent out 3 contractors got 3 quotes done.

jim
Click to expand...
If you don’t mind can you share if you called Generac’s corporate or a local office.
I filled out a request on Generac’s website for a whole house NG generator including an ATS. They pitched the installation to “Mister Sparky company” - their install number was completely laughable.
 
12151791 said:
They pitched the installation to “Mister Sparky company” - their install number was completely laughable.
Click to expand...
Mr. Sparky is a huge contractor that has over 100 trucks in the Atlanta area alone.
These kind of guys are always way expensive. Their overhead is insane.
 
Friday said:
Mr. Sparky is a huge contractor that has over 100 trucks in the Atlanta area alone.
These kind of guys are always way expensive. Their overhead is insane.
Click to expand...
I figured as much when the technician shows up in a very shiny fully loaded 2019 van. I also think it is a franchise so the local contractor (it was a local contractor) has to pay franchise fees.
 
Last edited:
Just by way of update. My generator installation was completed this past Monday. Signed the contract in March, Generator delivered and installed in late April. Propane tank installed and inspected mid May, then final startup and testing completed Monday.

I went with a 20KW Briggs and Stratton with Symphony II auto transfer switch and load management. All in with generator, transfer switch and other parts, installation, propane tank installation and first fill I was right at $11,400.00 invested.
 
I just got two quotes, both for Generac.
22Kw, $9600 for direct hook up to natural gas, turnkey
 
fieldgrade said:
I just got two quotes, both for Generac.
22Kw, $9600 for direct hook up to natural gas, turnkey
Click to expand...

FWIW I had two separate contractors tell me that they stopped selling and installing General due to an uptick in warranty issues. Both had switched to Briggs and Stratton.
 
rantingredneck said:
FWIW I had two separate contractors tell me that they stopped selling and installing General due to an uptick in warranty issues. Both had switched to Briggs and Stratton.
Click to expand...
There's six Generacs in my neighborhood and one Briggs.
 
Like I said FWIW. Just a data point....
 
rantingredneck said:
Like I said FWIW. Just a data point....
Click to expand...
Understood. I just sort of followed the crowd and pursued what I see others buying. I don't know the db ratings but the Briggs is the only one I hear, but it's closer to me.

I just had two properties go vacant this week, so the missus informed me that my current emergency back-up plan is scotch neat, or Miller Lite in whatever ice is left, lol.
 
Last edited:
fieldgrade said:
I just got two quotes, both for Generac.
22Kw, $9600 for direct hook up to natural gas, turnkey
Click to expand...
Fieldgrade, I was going with a 22 KW to do the whole house (nobody lives upstairs) but elected to do just the first floor with a 16 KW. The reason that I went with the smaller one is that I had an additional cost to install it of a $1,000. I paid a little over $16,000 and I think the 22 KW was about $1,500 more. The cost to get a plumber to hook up the gas was around $200.
 
KnotRight said:
Fieldgrade, I was going with a 22 KW to do the whole house (nobody lives upstairs) but elected to do just the first floor with a 16 KW. The reason that I went with the smaller one is that I had an additional cost to install it of a $1,000. I paid a little over $16,000 and I think the 22 KW was about $1,500 more. The cost to get a plumber to hook up the gas was around $200.
Click to expand...
Only $200 difference for the 22KW install here over 16KW. Don't ask me why.
 
fieldgrade said:
Understood. I just sort of followed the crowd and pursued what I see others buying. I don't know the db ratings but the Briggs is the only one I hear, but it's closer to me.

I just had two properties go vacant this week, so the missus informed me that my current emergency back-up plan is scotch neat, or Miller Lite in whatever ice is left, lol.
Click to expand...

Gotcha. This far I've only had mine run for 15 minutes for it's weekly maintenance cycle. It sounded like the neighbor was mowing his lawn. It was much quieter than either of my two portables. I was pleasantly surprised.
 
rantingredneck said:
Gotcha. This far I've only had mine run for 15 minutes for it's weekly maintenance cycle. It sounded like the neighbor was mowing his lawn. It was much quieter than either of my two portables. I was pleasantly surprised.
Click to expand...
Did they tell you the db rating for it? I have no idea at what distance they measure the sound but the Generac was 67 db for 22KW and 63 db for 16kw, not that sound is the primary consideration, but since we're talking about them...

I haven't bought one yet so I'm interested to know.
 
fieldgrade said:
Only $200 difference for the 22KW install here over 16KW. Don't ask me why.
Click to expand...

No, the plumber was an extra cost of $200.
Because they could not run the wire from one side of my house (where gas is) to the other side (where panel is) through the attic, I had to run about 90 to 100 feet of wire through the backyard to connect the generator to the panel. That was over $1,000 in extra labor and wire. I think that the price in the 2 generators was about $1,500.
 
KnotRight said:
No, the plumber was an extra cost of $200.
Because they could not run the wire from one side of my house (where gas is) to the other side (where panel is) through the attic, I had to run about 90 to 100 feet of wire through the backyard to connect the generator to the panel. That was over $1,000 in extra labor and wire. I think that the price in the 2 generators was about $1,500.
Click to expand...
I should use better grammar. I can buy the Generac 22KW for only $200 more than the 16KW.
 
rantingredneck said:
Gotcha. This far I've only had mine run for 15 minutes for it's weekly maintenance cycle. It sounded like the neighbor was mowing his lawn. It was much quieter than either of my two portables. I was pleasantly surprised.
Click to expand...

Rantingredneck, I too run mine every Monday for 10 minutes. When the service guy was here this week he took the casing off the generator while running and I think the noise level doubled.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom