Mike from Barnegat, NJ has been a Green Sun Energy Services client since October of 2020. A Generac model 7176 was commissioned in March of 2021, rated 16 kW on natural gas against a load calculation asking for 14 kW. It carries the whole house from a 150-amp service, with a load-management module keeping the heaviest circuits from starting together. A separate freezer sits alongside the refrigerator, and that is a good part of what the machine exists to protect: a freezer that thaws through a long outage empties itself, and none of it comes back.
Project Facts
- Location
- Barnegat, NJ
- Services
- Standby Generator Installation, Standby Generator Service
- Client since
- October 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 Barnegat homeowners
Does the transfer switch need flood protection as well as the generator?
Yes. A flood review should cover much more than the generator enclosure. FEMA recommends that a residential standby system consider elevation or protection of the generator, the transfer switch, the normal and emergency panels, the feeders and the control wiring together.
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.
Does the generator need its own gas shutoff?
The fuel installation has to include the shutoff arrangements required by the adopted fuel-gas code and by the installation instructions. The valve must be positioned where it is accessible, both for servicing and for isolating the machine in an emergency.