Philip from Monroe Township, NJ has been a Green Sun Energy Services client since February of 2022. The generator was commissioned in July, sized against a 14 kW calculation for the 2,200 square foot house, with two sump pumps on the load list. One condition was agreed in advance: the household would run a #8 copper grounding wire from the electrical panel to the water main before installation day. Grounding is the least visible part of an electrical installation and the part an inspector looks at hardest – a generator ties into the house’s grounding system, and if that system is not up to current code the work stops there. Annual maintenance, a seven-year extended parts-and-labor warranty and monitoring we manage all sit behind the machine.
Project Facts
- Location
- Monroe Township, NJ
- Services
- Standby Generator Installation, Standby Generator Service
- Client since
- February 2022
- Manufacturer
- Generac Model # 7223
- Rated output
- 14 kW LP / 14 kW NG
- Fuel
- Natural Gas
- Home sized for
- 2,200 sq ft
- Electrical service
- 100 amp
- Transfer switch
- 100 amp
- Load management
- Managed Whole House
Standby generator questions from Monroe Township homeowners
What should a Monroe Township homeowner look for in a generator installer?
A contractor who can design, permit, install, commission, maintain and repair the whole system rather than one who sells the machine. That means generator sizing and transfer equipment, disconnect and shutdown requirements, grounding and bonding, the manufacturer's own installation requirements, gas or propane capacity and pressure, the model-specific clearances, the municipal zoning setbacks, windows and vents and carbon-monoxide entry points, flood requirements where they apply, permits and inspections, utility coordination, load management, commissioning, warranty registration, monitoring and long-term service. The lowest proposal is not necessarily the lowest cost over the life of the system.
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.
What gas pressure does a generator need?
It is model-specific and has to be read off the specification sheet rather than assumed. A current 22 kW model, for instance, specifies a minimum natural-gas pressure of 3.5 inches water column. Different models carry different requirements.