Ann from Farmingdale, NJ has been a Green Sun Energy Services client since July of 2019. The generator was commissioned that September: 16 kW on natural gas, on a 150-amp managed whole-house switch, sized against a 15 kW calculation for the 2,700 square foot house. An electric oven, a refrigerator, a washer, a gas dryer and a dishwasher make up the load. Seven years on the machine is still in service, and the arrangement behind it is the full one – annual maintenance, an extended parts-and-labor warranty and monitoring we manage. A generator sized just above its calculated requirement runs cooler and wears its parts more slowly than one working at the edge of its rating.
Project Facts
- Location
- Farmingdale, NJ
- Services
- Standby Generator Installation, Standby Generator Service
- Client since
- July 2019
- Manufacturer
- Generac Model # 70351
- Rated output
- 16 kW LP / 16 kW NG
- Fuel
- Natural Gas
- Home sized for
- 2,700 sq ft
- Electrical service
- 150 amp
- Transfer switch
- 150 amp
- Load management
- Managed Whole House
Standby generator questions from Farmingdale homeowners
Can the existing natural-gas service in a Farmingdale home supply a generator?
Often yes, but the gas system has to be evaluated first. The review covers the generator's BTU demand, meter capacity, available pressure, regulator capacity, pipe diameter and length, and every other gas appliance in the house -- furnace, boiler, water heater, range and fireplace among them.
Can a standby generator be installed in the garage?
No. Residential air-cooled standby generators are designed for outdoor installation and must never be run inside a garage, basement, shed or any other enclosed occupied space. The engine produces carbon monoxide, which can cause serious injury or death. That is why outdoor location and separation from building openings are treated as critical rather than as preferences.
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.