Juli from Colts Neck, NJ has been a Green Sun Energy Services client since October of 2019. The generator was commissioned that December, sized against a 15 kW calculation for a 980 square foot house – a figure driven not by the floor area but by what the property runs: two well pumps, a sump pump and an electric range and oven combination. Before the work could begin, the staircase to the back deck had to be relocated so the generator would have eight feet of clearance from the west side of the deck. Moving a staircase is a considerable thing to ask, and it is worth understanding why: clearances around a generator are about exhaust and about combustible surfaces, and they are not negotiable on inspection. Settling that in the contract rather than on the day is what keeps an installation from stalling.
Project Facts
- Location
- Colts Neck, NJ
- Service
- Standby Generator Installation
- Client since
- October 2019
- Manufacturer
- Generac Model # 7176
- Rated output
- 16 kW LP / 16 kW NG
- Fuel
- Natural Gas
- Electrical service
- 100 amp
- Transfer switch
- 100 amp
- Load management
- Managed Whole House
Standby generator questions from Colts Neck homeowners
Why do outages last longer on some Colts Neck streets than others?
Mature tree cover over overhead lines is the usual reason. Limbs coming down in wind, snow or ice take the lines with them, so heavily treed streets tend to see both more frequent outages and longer restoration times than open ones. It is one of the honest arguments for standby power rather than a portable generator.
How can a whole house be carried on a smaller electrical service?
Through load management. One or more large loads are controlled so they do not start at the same moment, or shut down briefly if generator demand climbs too high. That is what allows whole-house coverage where the raw sum of every connected load would otherwise exceed the machine.
Will a larger gas meter be needed?
Possibly. A generator can significantly increase a home's maximum gas demand. If the existing meter or service cannot hold the required pressure while supplying the generator and the other appliances together, the gas utility may require an upgrade.