How to Calculate Home Generator Sizes
- 1). Take an inventory of every electrical device that plugs into outlets in your home. List each item, along the voltage and amps, or voltage and watts, specified on the item's label.
- 2). Determine your household's primary electrical needs, out of all the appliances on the list.
- 3). Revise your list to reflect the essential household needs in case of an electrical outage.
- 4). Convert any appliances listed in volts and amps to watts. Multiple the volts times the amps. For instance, if an appliance requires 110 volts and 20 amps, multiplying the two results in 2,200 watts. If the appliance has a motor, such as a refrigerator, multiply the wattage stated on the nameplate by 3.
- 5). Total the number of watts required to run your household's essential systems. Choose a generator whose constant output exceeds the total household essential wattage.