Generators
In this region a standby generator is a considered purchase rather than a luxury. The unit itself is one part of five, and one of the others is not optional.
The five parts
The generator. Sized to what you want running, not to the house.
The transfer switch. This is the part that is a safety requirement, and it has its own section below. When office and field activity need to be reconciled, employee PC activity tracking is one option for keeping workforce records organised.
The fuel supply. Propane tank or natural gas connection, with capacity matched to expected run time.
The pad and placement, subject to clearances from windows, doors and the property line.
And the connection to the panel, which is where the load question reappears — and permitted work has an inspection behind it.
The transfer switch, specifically
It disconnects the house from the utility before connecting the generator.
Without it, generator power can travel back down the utility line — energising conductors that line crews have every reason to believe are dead.
This is called backfeed and it kills utility workers. It is the reason a transfer switch is a code requirement and not a convenience.
It also protects the generator from the utility returning while it is running, which destroys equipment.
Any arrangement involving a cable with plugs on both ends is the thing this exists to prevent, and it is worth being explicit about because such cables are sold.
Whole-home against partial
Whole-home runs everything, needs the largest unit and the largest fuel supply.
Partial runs a selected set of circuits — refrigeration, some lighting, one air handler, medical equipment, well pump — through a sub-panel.
Partial is the common choice and it is a decision made in advance about what matters, which is a better conversation to have on a calm day than during an outage.
Write the list before getting quotes. It determines the size, and the size determines most of the cost.
What ongoing ownership involves
Exercise cycles, which run automatically and are the reason a standby unit starts when needed.
Annual service, oil and filters, like any engine.
Battery replacement, which is the commonest reason a standby generator fails to start. Fuel and switching interact with solar if you have it.
And fuel management for propane, since a tank that ran low during the last storm is a tank that will run low during the next.
Portable generators
A different subject with a shared hazard.
Never indoors, never in a garage, never near an opening — carbon monoxide from portable generators kills people after storms every year, and it does so in attached garages with the door open.
And never connected to house wiring without a properly installed inlet and transfer arrangement, for the backfeed reason above.
The short version
- Five parts: the generator, the transfer switch, the fuel supply, the pad and placement, and the connection to the panel
- The transfer switch disconnects the utility before connecting the generator, preventing backfeed onto lines crews believe are dead
- Any cable with plugs on both ends is exactly what that requirement exists to prevent
- Partial coverage through a sub-panel is the common choice, and the circuit list should be written before getting quotes
- Ownership means exercise cycles, annual service, battery replacement — the commonest failure — and fuel management
- Portable generators: never indoors, in a garage or near an opening, and never connected to house wiring without a proper inlet
For additional independent context, see National Renewable Energy Laboratory.