Whole House Portable Generator Calculator

Find a suitable portable generator size for your home backup needs. Select appliances, estimate running and starting watts, and calculate the energy you may need for your chosen backup period.

Estimate your homeâ€™s power needs in four steps. Results are planning estimates, not an electrical design.

1. Home 2. Appliances 3. Usage 4. Results

What do you want to keep running?

Choose a starting point. You can select or deselect individual appliances in the next step.

Home size Power priority

Choose your appliances

Select the equipment you want to power. Wattages shown are typical estimates; check the appliance label or manual when available.

Add another appliance

Appliance name Running watts Starting watts

Customize your usage

Set estimated hours per day for each device. Running watts help estimate simultaneous load; watt-hours estimate energy over time.

How long should backup last? Extra capacity buffer

Your whole house portable generator estimate

Use this estimate to compare options, then verify actual appliance and generator specifications.

Safety note: Central air, electric furnaces, ranges, dryers, water heaters, and well pumps can greatly increase requirements. Have a qualified electrician assess transfer equipment and circuits. Never connect a generator directly to a wall outlet or operate a fuel-powered generator indoors, in a garage, or near doors, windows, or vents.

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