Generator buying guides

Decision guides written and reviewed by people, with the calculations done from the same dataset that powers the rest of the site. Each guide states its sources and its last-updated date.

• Can a generator charge an EV during an outage?

  Yes, if the generator, EVSE, grounding arrangement, and vehicle agree — but Level 1 is usually the realistic emergency option. The continuous-load math, energy-per-hour estimate, and safety checks.

• What size generator do you need? The watts-and-surge method

  Size from the loads you will actually run: sum the running watts, add the single largest starting surge, then 20% headroom. The full method, a typical-wattage table, and a calculator that does it for you.

• Portable vs standby generator: the real cost and effort comparison

  A portable costs a fraction as much but needs fueling, cords, and someone home; a standby starts itself on the gas line. Where each makes sense, with the install-cost and runtime realities.

• Transfer switch vs interlock kit: safe ways to power your panel

  Both connect a portable generator to house circuits without deadly backfeeding. How each works, what they cost, the code and permit caveats, and why an electrician does the install.

• Dual-fuel and tri-fuel generators explained (and the derating math)

  Propane costs about 10% of output, natural gas about 20% — in exchange for fuel that stores forever or never runs out. How the fuels compare and how to size against the derated figure.

• Generator safety: carbon monoxide, placement, and wet weather

  CO from a generator can be lethal in minutes indoors. The 20-foot placement rule, what CO shutoff sensors do and don’t protect against, and how to run a generator in rain safely.

• Inverter generators explained: THD, sensitive electronics, and parallel kits

  Why inverter models are quieter, lighter, and safe for laptops and CPAP machines — the low-THD output explained — plus when pairing two small units beats one big one.

• Can a generator run central air conditioning?

  A 3-ton AC runs at ~3,500 W but can surge past 8,000 W at compressor start. The surge math, what a soft starter changes, and the generator sizes that genuinely handle central air.

• What a natural-gas standby generator costs to run

  Honest math from published half-load consumption figures: cubic feet per hour to therms to dollars, per outage day and for weekly exercise cycles, across the standby models in the database.