How did the historically severe blizzard treat you this year? While Kansas City may not have the worst winter in the U.S., we are not immune from heavy snow, freezing storms, and violent winds. When harsh weather is present, having the right type of generator for your home is key because the last thing you’d want is to have no backup during a power outage.

Let’s prepare your home for Kansas City winter!

Types of Generators for Your Home

There are three common types of home generators that will keep you protected during outages caused by winter weather:

• Standby generators: also known as whole-house generators, designed to support core major appliances or the entire home
• Portable generators: designed to support small appliances such as a space heater or keeping your lights on
• Inverter generators: produce electric currents to charge your phones, tablets, laptops, etc

Types of Home Generators

Type	Cost	Capacity
Home standby generator	$5,000 – $25,000	Whole house
Portable generator	$400 – $5,000 depend on capacity	Can support one or two key appliances
Inverter generator	$500 – $2,000 for most standard models, but medium and large models can cost a lot more	Mainly for sensitive, complex electronic devices like your phone, laptops, or modern appliances

Home Standby Generator

Home standby generators, also known as whole-house generators, are the most powerful type of home generator and the only type of generator designed to actually power your major house appliances during an outage, such as HVAC, refrigerator, electric stove, lights, and the security system in your home.

Home standby generators cost from $5,000 to $25,000 on average, depending on brand, model, and output capacity. Most standby generators have an output between 20 and 26 kW, though higher-end models can go up to 30 kW.

Portable Generator

Portable generators vary in cost and capacity. Smaller portable generators can cost as little as $400, whereas more robust ones can go up to $5,000. While these generators cannot keep your house running on full capacity during an outage, they will be able to keep a space heater or a few lights running for a couple of hours while you wait for power to be restored. Their output capacity typically ranges from 500 to 3,000 Watts.

For safety considerations, your portable generators should be placed on the outside of your house and at least 20 feet away from windows, vents, and doors. This protects you from carbon monoxide poisoning, which kills approximately 70 people each year in the U.S.

Inverter Generator

Ranging from $50 to over $5,000, inverter generators are designed for sensitive electronic devices, such as your phones, tablets, laptops, or smart TVs and ACs. These generators convert AC electric current into DC electric current, then invert it back into AC for a cleaner energy output.

Small inverters, or recreational inverters, mainly only work with your phones or laptops. However, medium and large inverters can safely power a heating unit, your smart refrigerator, and a few other things.

Types of Generators by Fuel Usage

Most generators use one of the following fuel options: gasoline, diesel, natural gas, propane. Each type of fuel comes with unique advantages and challenges.

• Gasoline: Primarily used by portable generators that need less frequent refueling due to its shorter shelf life and flash-point temperature.
• Diesel: Works for whole-house generators or standalone generators mounted to a trailer. Fuel may run out and needs to be replenished regularly.
• Natural Gas: one of the most efficient and cleanest fuel options. No refueling needed as natural gas generators are directly connected to your gas supply line. But is subjected to outages and cutoffs during natural diaster. Also requires more routine maintenance.
• Propane: Usually used as an alternative to gas generators not connected to the supply line or when the natural gas supply is down. Less efficient, but has an extremely long shelf life. Natural gas generators need a conversion kit to use propane.

How to Choose the Right Generator for Your Home

Finding the right generator is key for your home’s safety and comfort without burning your budget. Generally speaking, you should take into account the minimum necessary wattage for core appliances, the outage frequency and severity in your area, and your funds when evaluating different home generator options.

Know Your Wattage

What is the minimum wattage needed to keep your home comfortable during an outage? For most single-family homes, a portable or inverter generator with an output between 5,000 to 8,000 watts would be more than sufficient to keep the heater, refrigerator and a few lights running. Apartment complexes or multi-family homes typically rely on higher capacity generators to ensure core functions shared by all units, such as central heating and cooling, are not interrupted. This also means if you live in an apartment, you may opt for a smaller portable generator to run a space heater during the winter for emergency purposes, or rely on a recreational inverter to keep your phones and small electronics powered.

Know Your Outages

Do you have inclement weather that leads to frequent outages? The more outages you have each year, the more you’ll want a trustworthy generator. Outage frequency also affects your generator fuel type. Small or mid-sized propane generators would make more sense if you barely ever have an outage since propane tanks can sit on the shelf for a long time without deteriorating. On the other hand, those who frequently lose power in the winter might want to invest in a standby generator or a large portable generator.

For example, the latest blizzard left thousands of homes in Kansas City without power. In situations like this, having a portable generator at home would definitely come in handy. If you live in more remote areas where it may take longer to restore power, you may consider investing in a standby generator. However, those living on the city grid might do just fine with a medium-capacity portable that can keep them warm until the power comes back on.

Know Your Budget

Finally, your budget naturally poses some restrictions on the types of generators you can afford. As a rule of thumb, inverter generators cost more than their portable counterparts with the same output because they produce cleaner, safer energy. Then, standby generators, or whole-house generators, will almost always be the heftiest investment.

A standby generator costs between $2,000 and $30,000 with automatic start functions or up to $10,000 with a manual start. A portable generator strong enough to power major home appliances costs approximately $2,000 or more, whereas smaller, lower-capacity portable generators can cost as little as a couple hundred dollars. Fuel type, inverter vs. non-invertor, manufacturer, and warranty coverage also affect the price.