Generators (Some information for Anchorage residents considering a emergency
generator installation)
After about 4 weeks of hearing our recently install “whole house” generator come on
once a week for its 20 minutes weekly test, it finally came on for real as all of Anchorage
(and Bay Ridge) suffered one of our all-to-frequent power outages during the week of Jan
25th last year. I’ll have to admit, it was a good feeling knowing it was there to do the job
and then doing the job well when it was “called on”. That feeling is shared by about a
dozen of my fellow Anchorage residents who have units ranging from about 8,000 watts
to 20,000 or so watts.
Service Line Upgrade: We (my wife and I) loss the battle with the public service
commission and BGE. They did not feel that our frequent power outages in Anchorage
were sufficient for BGE to pay for the service line upgrade necessary to support a “non
essential” generator. As a result, we, like a few others in Anchorage, shelled out the
funds for BGE to increase the pipe size of the service line coming from the street to our
home, and for a new higher capacity meter. The generator we selected, resulted in a flow
rate of gas needed for all gas users in the home, higher than the ¼ inch (inside diameter)
line supplying gas to our homes in Anchorage. While it is true that all gas appliances
wont be on at the same time, BGE calculates the requirements as if they will be, and that
they will be operated at full load!! I do not have every one’s information, but a price
range of $1700 to $3500 for the service line upgrade seems to be the general range for
Anchorage homes. Generally speaking, lower wattage generators (around 8000 watts)
will not require service line upgrades!
Aside from this upgraded service issue, the answer most people who are considering
automatic emergency generators installations are interested in is, what is the total cost
going to be Like most things, it depends! The major factors involved are, the size
selected, the location of the unit, the number of household circuits you want to be
powered during a power outage, and your contractor. The following is some information
hopefully helpful to those considering emergency generators.
Size of Unit: If you want to just insure that you will be able to pump water from your
well, run your furnace, run your basement sump pump, do limited cooking, and have
selected lights and TV on, then a 8 kilowatt unit would be about right. A unit that size
runs in the range of $2500 to $3000 just for the generator. If you want to be able to have
your air conditioner operate and have essentially all of you home circuits available to
operate, you are probably going to need a 12 to 18,000 watt unit. Their costs are in the
$3500 to $4500 price range. If you have a gas cook stove, then cooking is not a problem
during outages. However, an electric stove with numerous burners and oven on, is a very
large power draw. The two primary manufacturers of household generators are Kohler
and Generac. Both manufacturers have excellent websites for additional information.
My research and discussions led me to a Kohler 18,000 watt unit.
Number of Circuits: Most generators are generally sold with a power transfer switch
and a separate circuit breaker box. You will be asked by your contractor what house
circuits you want to be powered by the emergency generator when the BGE power goes
out. As a general example, an 8000 watt generator is usually sold with an 8 or 10 circuit
panel box and transfer switch. When your emergency generator system senses the BGE
supplied power go off, the emergency system sends a signal to the emergency generator
to start and in a few seconds when it is up to speed, the power transfer switch transfers
power to the selected circuits from being powered by BGE to being powered by the
emergency generator. Of course with particular circuits on, you can always plug into an
“active” receptacle with an extension cord and power up some additional items in the
house.
With the larger generators (usually 12-15,000 watts and above) you have the option of
changing out your entire panel box and connecting all of you home circuits to the
generator. This means that everything in your home can be operated with the generator,
but some discretion must be used not to overload the generator. For an example, you
might not be able to operate all of you cooking stove burners and oven, your washing
machine and air conditioner at the same time, but you will be able to run them
selectively. A whole house panel box and transfer switch will run (the material cost) of
the installation up by $500 to $1300 dollars and also increase the installation labor costs.
In discussing installations with several Anchorage residents, those who have chosen a
lower wattage generator with a limited number of circuits, I have found they are pleased
with their decision. Two recent installations (including mine) included the whole house
panel box and transfer switch. Both of these installations are very satisfactory to the
homeowners.
Location of Unit: Primary factors influencing the generator location include, cost of the
gas line run, proximity to electrical panel box, and noise. The gas line location can
significantly influence cost and should be discussed with your plumber. A separate gas
line will probably have to be run from your gas meter location to the generator location.
The line can be run through the home or in the ground outside the home. The generator
is connected via several wires to the circuit breaker/transfer switch panel box. The closer
the generator is to the circuit breaker panel box the lower the cost. Noise is a
consideration, and, it is reasonably accurate to say that most of the generator installations
wind up being towards the bedroom end of the home. However, they are reasonably
quiet, but there is no doubt that you know when it is on!
Generator installation, startup and wiring: The generator is usually set on a synthetic
material base on a bed of stones. An automobile style battery is placed in the generator
cabinet and the system is electrically connected to the new circuit breaker box and
transfer switch in the house. Cost: $600 to $1500 depending on how many circuits are
involved in the installation. Fundamentally, if the new system detects loss of utility
company supplied power, it sends a signal to the generator engine to start using the
automobile battery power, and in a few seconds, sends the generator power to the
“chosen” circuits via a transfer switch. When the system detects the availability of utility
company power restored, the transfer switch shifts the “chosen” circuits back to being
powered by BGE and the generator is directed to shut down.
Most installation companies will provide a yearly service contract. This usually includes
a careful inspection, change of oil on the generator engine, change of air filter on the
engine and a check of the battery. The battery is on a trickle charger at all times to insure
it is ready to start and run the system for the weekly 20 minute automatic test runs and
when the utility company power is lost.
General bottom line: An 8000 watt generator with 8-10 circuit breakers, not requiring a
service line upgrade will run in the range of $5-6000. A 15-18,000 watt (all circuit)
system that may require a service line upgrade will run in the range of $9-10,000. (If you
do not have a gas dryer, multiple gas log fireplaces, and/or gas cooking stove, you may
not need a service line upgrade. Therefore, the cost would be more like $7-9,000 for the
whole house capable 15-18,000 watt generator installation)
If I can answer any questions about generator selection, installations or contractors,
please feel free to call me at 410 267 6537 or cell 443 822 4770. Dick Schoeller
PS Our decision for selecting a larger unit capable of running our 4 ton A/C was
“vindicated” when we (part of Anchorage) lost power for 24 plus hours last summer.