AdobeStock
We escaped late February’s wind-driven power outage by virtue of living on a luckier side of the street. When we checked Seattle.gov the morning after the storm, 18,000+ customers were out of electricity for the night. In our area, the power was out for about seven hours, seemingly typical for the city: short, temporary blackouts.
Even though we have reliable electric service (thank you, City Light), I have been mulling investing in a generator in case of longer outages, and this column seemed a good opportunity for me to explore the idea a little for myself and share what I’ve learned. I’ve written up some pros, cons, questions, and considerations, but I am far from an expert—please just use this article as a jumping-off point! I recommend consulting a reputable buyer’s guide, like Popular Mechanics or Consumer Reports, to learn more. Other resources I’ve found helpful are YouTube and Reddit (more on those later).
Aside: I’ll be talking about portable generators in this article, but if your budget allows for a large investment, you might look into having a whole-house generator (sometimes called a standby generator) professionally installed to keep your heating/air conditioning and all other systems up in a power outage. These generators rely on natural gas (practical if you already have gas in your home) or propane, and are connected directly to your electrical panel.
First things first: size matters
A key question to ask: What wattage generator do I need?
Portable generators are categorized according to how many “running watts” they can produce. Per Lowe’s Generator Finder, generators under 3,000 watts will power “small appliances, phone chargers, and lights,” 3,001-6,000 watts will support “essential appliances like a fridge and multiple electronics,” and 6,001 to 10,000 watts can handle “most household heating and cooling systems, water heaters and appliances.” (For more than 10,000 watts, you’re likely looking at a whole-house setup.)
Omnicalculator.com has an easy-to-use wattage calculator (search “generator wattage”) that lets you add in all the appliances you think you will need and calculates the wattage you need.
Next: Decide what type of generator you want
I’m grouping portable generators into two broad categories: Fuel-driven (using gasoline, propane, or natural gas) and solar. Fuel-driven generators include an internal combustion engine that runs on fuel that you supply. Solar generator solutions use power from the sun (using solar panels) but many also let you use a “prestored” energy source (like wall outlets or your car charger).
Fuel-driven Pros: Inexpensive; good value for money
Fuel-driven Cons: Requires fuel; must be used outdoors; noisy; myriad safety considerations; requires regular maintenance
Solar Pros: Clean, emissions-free power; sun available during fuel shortages; lightweight; silent; low maintenance; portable; can use indoors
Solar Cons: Expensive; requires direct sunlight; slower/less powerful; components sensitive/fragile; solar panels require positioning/moving; temperature-sensitive
Fuel-driven generators—some considerations
Before I dive in, it’s vital to share that fuel-powered generators carry substantial safety risks — more than I can go into in this article. Visit Seattle City Light (bit.ly/sea-gensafe) or the Red Cross (bit.ly/rc-gensafe) for information on generator safety basics. For safety reasons, fuel-driven generators must be run outside your house (at least 20 feet in most cases), so you’ll need to keep the unit outside and use a long extension cord and a surge strip. You must have sheltered outdoor space (not just a garage), away from windows and doors, and keep the exhaust blowing away from your house. A generator-owning friend stressed that a generator-ready extension cord (weatherproof, portable, long) is also a must.
A key question to consider: What kind of fuel type(s) do I want?
Gasoline generators are the most common, inexpensive, and convenient, but more versatile options are dual-fuel (uses gasoline or propane) or even tri-fuel (uses gasoline, propane, or natural gas) generators. (I’m ignoring diesel here, but they also exist.) These can all vary widely in price, size, portability, and performance. Whichever type you consider, I’d recommend limiting your purchases to generators with carbon monoxide safety monitors/alarms.
Popular fuel-driven generator brands: Honda (the gold standard as far as effectiveness and quietness, but expensive); Westinghouse; Champion; Generac
Fuel type pros and cons
Gasoline Pros: Simple to own and operate; fuel easily available (and you can siphon from your own car in an emergency).
Gasoline Cons: Short shelf life (6 months+); can be noisy (as loud “as a lawnmower” in many cases); require additives be added periodically
Propane Pros: Easy to obtain and store (can last indefinitely!); comes in handy containers,
Propane Cons: Offer less power than gasoline; must store carefully and check for leaks
Natural Gas Pros: No additional costs if natural gas already installed in your house; no additional fuel costs
Natural Gas Cons: Complex/dangerous to connect/use; might require professional installation
A note about inverter generators
An inverter generator works like a standard generator, but throttles the engine for more efficiency. It costs more but has substantial advantages: it is quieter, more efficient, and offers cleaner power (good for laptops or other sensitive electronics). Be sure you are comparing apples to apples when shopping for generators.
Solar generators—some basics
Solar power generator is kind of a misnomer—it’s more of a solar generator system with two components: 1) solar panels to collect power and 2) a battery to store power in (called a power station). One advantage of this system over fuel-based systems is that the sun is always available, and most power stations also let you store power from other sources, like wall outlets or even car chargers. However, we do live in the Northwest, where the sun can be quite shy—it’s a trade-off, to be sure!
A few things to look at when evaluating a solar power generator: power output, battery capacity and type (LiFePo4 is the latest technology), portability, charging time, and durability.
Popular brands of solar generator systems: Bluetti, Jackery, EcoFlow, Anker
Note: You can buy plug-and-play systems that include all you need, or you can build your own solar setups that are more affordable and customizable. On YouTube, DIY Solar Power with Will Prowse has a lot of content on custom solutions (cheaper, but requires some tech savvy—good if you’ve been looking to take up a new hobby!). I also recommend the City Prepping YouTube channel.
Hope you have enjoyed dabbling in generators with me this month. I have merely scratched the surface here on generators and doubtless have made some mistakes (no fact checker on this budget!). Please research thoroughly before you make any purchases!
Thanks to Reddit’s r/realworldpreppers, r/TwoXPreppers, and r/Generator groups for inspiration and information.
As always, this column is part of Madison Park Emergency Hub’s outreach effort. We’re an all-volunteer org focused on neighbors helping each other after a disaster. Contact us at madparkhub@gmail.com with questions or to get on our mailing list. (And if you don’t want to type in all these links, please mail me for a link-filled PDF of this article!)