Adam from Middletown, NJ has been a Green Sun Energy Services client since September of 2020. The generator was commissioned in May of 2021: 16 kW on natural gas, on a 200-amp service-entrance switch with a smart management module. The load calculation asked for 15 kW across 3,150 square feet, with two dishwashers among the appliances – a detail that usually means two kitchens or a kitchen built for entertaining, and either way a house whose demand does not follow from its floor area alone. Eight months separated the contract from the commissioning, the equipment lead times of late 2020 rather than anything on site. The five-year maintenance plan ran its full term and has since expired.
Project Facts
- Location
- Middletown, NJ
- Services
- Standby Generator Installation, Standby Generator Service
- Client since
- September 2020
- Manufacturer
- Generac Model # 7178
- Rated output
- 16 kW LP / 16 kW NG
- Fuel
- Natural Gas
- Home sized for
- 3,150 sq ft
- Electrical service
- 200 amp
- Transfer switch
- 200 amp
- Load management
- Managed Whole House
Standby generator questions from Middletown homeowners
Can a standby generator be used instead of utility power?
Residential standby generators are intended for backup during outages rather than as a permanent substitute for normal utility service. Running through an extended outage is expected, but maintenance requirements become considerably more important during prolonged continuous use.
Will a 16 kW generator run an entire Middletown house?
For many homes, yes, but that does not mean every load can run at the same moment. Houses with two central air conditioners, electric heat, EV charging, pool equipment or electric cooking may need load management or a larger machine. The answer comes from a load calculation rather than from the phrase whole house.
Does a generator in Middletown have to sit twelve inches above the flood elevation?
That figure should not be treated as a universal rule without looking at the actual property. The required elevation can depend on the flood-zone designation, the municipal freeboard, the Design Flood Elevation, Coastal A or V Zone conditions, NJDEP requirements and the applicable building-code provisions. Each flood-zone installation is worked out individually.