Storm Outages Are Getting Worse—Is a Whole-Home Generator Finally Worth It?

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A portable generator will keep your fridge running and lights on when a power outage strikes. But if you live in an area where extreme weather is common, then it may make sense to invest in a whole-home back-up generator that can power your whole house for days. A whole-home generator is permanently installed outside your home and connects directly to its electrical panel. When the grid goes down, your whole-home generator kicks on automatically, providing back up power typically within 30 seconds of the outage. And since they run on propane or natural gas, they can run indefinitely (as long as you have fuel).

While whole-home generators offer total protection from outages, they’re also a major investment. Ahead, we break down what factors you need to consider when determining if a whole-home generator makes sense for your home with help from Donna McGinnis of Briggs and Stratton Energy Solutions.

Is a Whole-Home Generator Worth It?

Whether or not a whole-home generator is worth it depends on a variety of factors, like how often you experience outages, if you have critical electricity needs (like for medical devices), your power demands, and your budget. Here, we break down what you should consider if you're thinking about getting a whole-home generator.

Outage Frequency and Longevity

If you experience infrequent outages that last just a few hours, it probably doesn't make sense to invest in a whole-home generator. But, if you live in an area that faces frequent power outages from ice storms, hurricanes, or high winds, having a generator can be the difference between life and death. A 2021 ice storm in Texas crippled the state’s power grid, leaving some 2.7 million people without power for days in extreme cold, resulting in more than 200 deaths. More recently in 2024, Hurricane Helene knocked out power for some 4.7 million customers, leaving some residents in the South without electricity for nearly three weeks.

As long as a standby generator has a supply of fuel, it can run indefinitely, keeping the power on in your home for weeks if need be. Though it may need maintenance during that period. “If the generator is running for a long period of time, you'll want to check the oil level and clear any debris around the generator on a daily basis,” McGinnis says. “At 100 hours of operation, there will be additional maintenance required.”

Critical Electricity Needs

Springing for a whole-home back-up generator may also make sense if someone in your home uses critical medical equipment that requires constant power, such as ventilators, oxygen concentrators, CPAP machines and home dialysis machines. If losing power to these machines even just for minutes or hours can be life threatening, then it makes sense to invest in a whole-home generator.

Power Demands

You can get by with a portable generator if you’re only looking to run a fridge, small appliances, lights and electronics. But most portable generators lack the power needed to run HVAC systems, which can be critical if a storm leaves you without power in extreme cold or heat. Whole-home stand-by generators have the energy muscle to run everything in your home and are wired directly to your electrical panel.

Your Budget

While a whole-home generator may make sense for your home, it may not be in the budget. Whole-home generators range from around $3,500 for a 10 kW unit up to $8,000 for a 26 kW generator. Installation costs are usually about equal to the cost of the unit, bringing the total project price of a whole-home generator to between $7,000 and $16,000. Whole-home back-up generators also require servicing, which adds about $300 to $500 a year in costs.

While that is a significant upfront investment, it’s important to note that many homeowners will see a huge return on investment for a whole-home back-up generator. The ROI on a whole-home generator can range from 50 percent in a moderate-risk area to as much as 150 percent in places that regularly experience severe weather, such as Florida and areas along the Gulf Coast. “The industry rule-of-thumb is that a standby generator can add 4 percent to the value of the home,” says McGinnis.

Along with ROI, it’s also important to think about the costs in damages that a whole-home generator can prevent, which can range from water damage due to sump pump failure during a storm, food spoilage when a fridge loses power, and burst pipes when a home loses heat.

If you live in an area with increasingly severe weather events, a whole-home back-up generator may be a worthy investment.

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What Size Should My Whole-Home Generator Be?

If you do decide to go with a whole home generator, make sure you get the right size. “What size generator your home needs depends on what you want to keep running—air conditioning, heat pumps, refrigerators, lights and the internet are usually top priorities for homeowners,” McGinnis says.

A 7-10 kW generator can run most of your home’s essential appliances and electronics, including refrigerators, lights, sump pumps, electronics and furnace blowers; however, it may not have enough juice to run a central AC unit.
A 12-20 kW generator will cover all of a medium-sized home’s power demand including all HVAC systems.
A 20-30 kW generator is designed to support large homes with big energy demands and is capable of running all electronics and major appliances along with larger HVAC systems. “Larger units, like a 26 kW, can power a whole home and keep it running for as long as you have LP or natural gas,” McGinnis says.

McGinnis suggests using an online calculator to determine what size generator your home needs.

Can I Install a Whole-Home Generator on My Own?

Since these large generators are permanently installed adjacent to your house and must be wired to your home’s electrical panel via a transfer switch, it’s a job that requires a professional electrician.

“It’s best to work with a professional installer since they’ll pull all required permits, work with the local utility, connect the generator to the electrical panel with an automatic transfer switch (ATS), and make the fuel connections,” McGinnis says.

Affordable Alternatives to a Whole-Home Back-up Generator

If a whole-home generator isn’t in the budget, there are more affordable options that can provide you with critical back-up power.

Portable Generator

Portable generators run off gasoline or propane gas and don’t require professional installation. They can produce between 1,000 and 10,000 watts and range in price from around $1000 to $5,000. A portable generator can produce enough juice to keep your refrigerator running, lights on and appliances going, but it won’t be able to run your central AC system. You’ll also need to manually start it up and run extension cords from the generator to devices in your home.

Portable Power Station

This clean power solution consists of banks of lithium-ion rechargeable batteries that provide enough power to run the essentials in your home for a few days. Unlike a traditional generator, they’re safe to use inside your home since they don’t produce any harmful exhaust and operate in near silence. You can also charge portable power stations via solar panels. Large portable power stations range in price from $2,000 to $5,000 and can run a refrigerator for a couple days and less power-hungry devices for up to a week. They don’t produce enough wattage to power HVAC systems.