William from Middletown, NJ has been a Green Sun Energy Services client since August of 2020. The generator was commissioned in March of 2021: a 16 kW Generac Guardian on natural gas, outdoors beside the meter, on a 150-amp whole-house transfer switch. At 1,562 square feet this is one of the smaller houses on our books, and the load calculation still came out at 15 kW – a reminder that the number is set by what the house runs rather than how big it is. A refrigerator, washer, gas dryer and dishwasher all have to keep going, and none of them cares about square footage. The generator is supported by annual maintenance, a ten-year extended parts-and-labor warranty, and monitoring we manage.
Project Facts
- Location
- Middletown, NJ
- Services
- Standby Generator Installation, Standby Generator Service
- Client since
- August 2020
- Manufacturer
- Generac Model # 7176
- Rated output
- 16 kW LP / 16 kW NG
- Fuel
- Natural Gas
- Electrical service
- 150 amp
- Transfer switch
- 150 amp
- Load management
- Managed Whole House
Standby generator questions from Middletown homeowners
Does the residential building code apply to a generator?
It can. For applicable one- and two-family dwellings New Jersey adopts the 2024 International Residential Code, subject to state amendments. Structural and flood-related generator installations may therefore need review under the residential subcode as well as the electrical and fuel requirements.
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.
How is the gas pipe size worked out?
From the generator's demand, the available pressure, the pipe length, the allowable pressure drop, the fittings, the pipe material and every other appliance connected to the system. The adopted fuel-gas code carries the sizing requirements and tables, and the model's published fuel consumption goes into the calculation.