Generac Cost (for me)
HTML-код
- Опубликовано: 9 сен 2024
- A brief list of things to consider when buying a home backup generator. I have been made aware that the things I was told by the representative who gave the quote are not how things go nation wide. I encourage you to contact your local rep to get a quote because it may not be the same as what I have stated in this video.
I would like to add that here that these prices are what we were told by the Generac rep. I understand stand that other places will have different prices. I would imagine a lot has to do with product demand. Here in Florida they are building faster than supply chains can keep up. Maybe in your area there isn't such a demand and that is why the price is lower.
I have also had comments saying that what I was told is not true. Again, this is what we were told. We are not experts and that is why we called the people who are supposed to be the experts. I can not say if what were told is false because I do not see a reason why they would not want our money.
At the end of the day all I can attest to is what information we were given. As for the fuel consumption rates that info was pulled directly from Generac's own website. Now I do hear that Generac is now offering inverter generators and that will make a huge improvement on those fuel consumption numbers.
I got my second one 2011 been running good to date. 8WK for1900. delivered back then with out all the bs nowadays. Does what it is supposed to do many times over.
@@brianr2698 that sounds like a more sensible option.
I sell used diesel whole house generators with a year warranty. With a diesel generator you can purchase died diesel and not pay the extra road taxes!!
I live in rural vermont and contemplated getting a generator. After comparin̈g costs I went with a solar setup, panels, controllers and batteries that allow about 4 days worth of power storage. I built and installed system myself and after tax credits I spent 10K dollars. After 1 year I am so happy with my system and I save $150 per month on utility costs. For me it's a nobrainer.
Solar brings a whole set of challenges.
* 4 days worth of power storage? The average house in the US uses 30kW of power a day. During an outage, you'll obviously conserve, so let's cut that in half and call it 15kW. So for 4 days, you'd need to store 60kW of power. I don't care if you're doing the work yourself, the batteries ALONE are going to cost near $10K (before tax credits). How big is your battery array?
* Vermont doesn't have a great solar fraction. You'd have to oversize your system to get 4 days, especially if you lose power from September through May.
I've spoken to enough people south of you who lost power on a gloomy winter day and needed a generator to top off the batteries because they weren't producing enough solar power to keep up with their energy needs.
* How many people are in your household?
* What's your daily power consumption?
* How many times have you lost power since installing your system and for how long?
The only way you're getting 4 days of backup power via solar + batteries in Vermont on a gloomy winter day is if you completely oversize your system ($$$) or add a generator backup (again, $$$). I'm going to guess you probably live by yourself, are using fossil fuel to run many of your appliances and haven't lost power for more than a day, so you're miscalculating on how long you actually can run things on your setup.
@dontbanmebrodontbanme5403 First, I use an average of 10kWh of energy each day, so your assessment of my battery storage capacity in days is wrong. Second, I have had my system up for last winter and no problem charging my batteries to full capacity each day. No need for generator. I am in the process of increasing pv capacity and battery capacity. I have experienced problems with grid power interruptions on average of 5 times per year, sometimes extending for several days. Unless you know m
Amazing breakdown. Heck for us if would make more financial sense just to evacuate for a week or two, if needed.
Trip to Florida to stay warm!
Thank you very much sr. Great information, ,, the best information out there out of 1000 vídeos no body wants to talk about the prices ,, is like they are afraid, or don’t want to help people,,, again THANK YOU FOR THE BEST INFORMATION VIDEO OUT THERE
Thank you. I tried to tell everyone what I felt was Important.
One of the most helpful reviews I've had in a while
Thanks 😁
I reside in North Texas. Getting a Generac installed was a pain in the arse. I used Lowe's. They had the entire project from permits to electrician to plumber to installer. Most people don't know how much effort and money goes into getting one installed. I paid cash up-front in February, 2021. With all the delays, the final install occurred in October, 2021 (Some four months after my quoted install date). I consider myself lucky. The backlog is enormous. I live in a new home development that has natural gas. My Generac is truly back-up only and runs on the natural gas line when outages occur. Power outages hasn't happened often (so far) but it really provides a sense of security when you hear that thing power on and your entire houses' power is restored within minutes. My total bill for everything came to over $20K for a 24kW. It requires very little maintenance and their mobile link app is excellent.
if the generator is $6500 then where does all the other cost come in? that seems really high for labor and misc parts
I’m an electrician and installed my 22kw myself for 10k including the generator and paying someone to do my natural gas line underground. How far is your generator from your utility meters? Did they run everything under ground?
That's insane!! As of 22JAN22 you can buy that generator with ATS for $6,400 shipped. Buy it, put it in place and get quotes for plumber and gas guy to hook it up. Generac has all-in-one cable with line and control wires all in one! Unless yours is crazy far away , they must just make up these labor rates!
Can someone please explain to me what's wrong with 12KW dual fuel (gas/propane) generators that you can buy for less than 1K USD? Hell you can even run 2 of them for less than 2K usd if you want to. What am I missing? Is that just a convenience thing or there some other factors?
@@LibtardsTears Nothing wrong with them. DuroMax units have pretty good reviews on the internet. But there is no ATS (auto transfer switch). I suppose you could convert one from natural gas to propane and run it off a big tank for a long time for house electricity. Of course they are all 3,600 RPM units made in China like most generators.
We had a tornado on May 15th here in Houston. Our Generac whole house natural gas generator ran for 6 days continually. Every 2 days I would shut it down and check the oil level.
After the 6 days of running I changed the oil and filter. Generac says do this every 200 hours.
The next month we got our natural gas bill. We subtracted our normal use from our 6 days of generator running. It came to $24.00 per day to run our Generac 20kw generator. That's a lot cheaper than finding a $150 motel that is charging $300 per day.
Thanks that's a good breakdown of the cost was thinking about getting one but definitely not now I'll stick to my two little 3600 watt champions
The only thing I can say for Generac now is that I am told they offer inverter generators. This is what I am told but it is not confirmed. If that is the case they should be way more efficient on fuel.
But I still think while it would be nice to have the house operate like normal in a power outage, it is not worth the cost for a few days or even weeks of inconvenience of no AC.
If you already have a gas generator, get yourself 2 EcoFlow Delta Pros and and extra battery. Use that to power your house in an emergency..then when batteries run down, power up the gas gen, and recharge the EcoFlow batteries...and switch them back once at 100% (takes about 2 hrs). That's what I'm doing.
Thanks for sharing the cost with us! I am going to look else where.
I would say to check your local area. It seems by other RUclips commenters that it may be cheaper in your area. Also I have heard (not confirmed) that Generac now offers inverter generators that should use a lot less fuel.
Thank you very much! I have a small off grid solar system. Combining that with the generator I’m sad I really like the info you gave. Thank you.
Your welcome
My experience covers both ends of the generator set-up spectrum. The costs summarized in this video are pretty spot on. Living in an area with not so good power reliability, a 6800 watt portable generator and manual transfer switch served me well as the initial set-up. Kept with that approach for over 20 years, easy to maintain and not too costly to run, on the plus side. On the minus side, had to be home to get the generator hooked up and started, in all types of weather, day or night, rain or snow, you get the scene. Unfortunately, the utility power reliability only got worse over the years. Recently had a whole house standby system installed, including a dedicated, underground 500 gal LP tank. The system is also IP ready and can be controlled and monitored remotely. The convenience of the standby system is a plus in not needing to set up and manually start a portable system. A perfect solution especially if traveling and spending an extended time away from home. However, with all that convenience comes the cost. Peace of mind in this instance has a price to carefully consider.
Thankyou for the comment!
Don’t know if would be into to solar but I built a solar system with a 5K inverter with 20kw of batteries that are now in line with house load center,so run almost everything except for oven, stove for less
Than $10,000. The best part is ,unlike a generato, is that this is in use all the time not siting waiting to be used, much more cost effective, if you have some land to put out panels
A 250 gallon tank will only hold 200 gallons of propane but your info is very interesting.
I’m in the process of putting a generator on my barndominum that I’m building as we speak.
The cost definitely outweighs the advantage, at least for me.
Thanks for the info!
In my research the best generator to get is one that operates on diesel at 1800rpm. They seem to be the most fuel efficient and longest lasting. Thanks for pointing out that you can only fill a propane tank to 80% capacity. I forgot about that.
@@Bbernhardsr after reading the information you posted I talked to my neighbor and he did say a few weeks ago he had no power for 3 days. His propane generator used a lot of propane. I have a 400 amp meter and 2-200 amp panels, with outside disconnects. Today I decided to put a 50 amp breaker in the house disconnect and add a receptacle to plug in a diesel generator if needed. Yeah, it will be manual but that’s ok for me.
I got a generator interlock kit installed $375.00 installed professionally and got a Wen 3800 inverted Generator for 600 powers the furnace light refrigerator internet and TV this is good enough for an emergency 22k is crazy for somthing you might need few times that electricity goes down. Still got security for lot less money.
Roughly $10,000 CAD for the install up here for the wifi enabled 18kw unit, but going with natural gas, so no need for a propane tank, and it's quite a bit cheaper than propane. Our primary issue up here is running in the winter, and condensation/water issues.
Brilliant review! You're the man!
Thank you kindly!
Generac’s warranty is almost worthless anyway. I bought mine on sale at Northern tool and got an additional 10% military discount. I used a local licensed electrician and local plumber for a total cost of about 7k for a 24kw model. I’ll do my own maintenance and use a local independent generator service center for repairs (if necessary). Worst case, I’ll buy a new generator since I already have the hookups, and sell parts from the old unit on eBay.
My house is 2000 sqft living, I have a 16k u it powering it… I can even run my 3.5 ton AC without any issues. Everything can run at the same time, well except the drier… adding that runs it down to much… but hey I’m not worried about laundry during a hurricane……
Do you have a city hookup to LP or do you have a tank of propane?
Great video, very informative and I"m looking for a Honda invertter generator, thanks!
Few days ago quote in Olive Branch MS by a certified Generac installer through Home Depot for 26KW natural gas was $22K!😳. When the ice storms hit this area I’m headed for Florida with that money in my pocket for a week.
Oh my!!! That is insanely expensive!!! 😲
As a retired electrician, I estimate that there are 2 man days or 16 hours of total labor for an electrician and plumber with a gas license. That does not equal $15,000. $7,000 more for generator, transfer switch, conduit and wire sounds reasonable. $22,000 represents a sellers market and plenty of buyers able to afford it.
@@rogerachelpohl9909 Labor rates are insane across all aspects and have been. It seems to me it widely differs depending on your area. For example I had to get some work done at a toyota dealership recently. The town closest to me is a richy town and the 7 hour job was quoted to me at just over $1,200 for just the labor. I towed my vehicle an hour north to another toyota dealership and got the same job done for $700. It's crazy.
I just did a 26kW a few weeks ago. Had to run propane line 150 feet which was no problem as I know the gas guy. I switched out my 500 gal. tank to a 1000 since the gas companies will charge storage fees for a dedicated generator feed. Generator and all parts including a trencher rental was around $7000. I did the install myself. I worked for an electric and gas utility for 30 years. It was a 2 day job. I did it without pulling the meter also.
Just to save a couple hundred dollars in food? Paying a couple hundred a day. Honda has never let me down.
Just going from a generator head that spins at 3,600 To one thats commonly used on a diesel at 1,800 rpm would be a fuel burn advantage.
.
a simple analog generator interlock in your fuse panel. with a plug on the side of the house to connect to a 240v gen would be far lower cost.
.
I gess the advantage to the generac is that it does the swichover automatically.
My thoughts exactly! A diesel generator that does 1800 rpm is a much better idea. I do hear now though they offer inverter generators so that will also make a drastic change in fuel consumption.
Generac wants you to be a Certified Installer. Generac has a Whole Home Inverter Generator. Propane here cost approximately $1.79 per gallon, and I recommend a 500 gallon tank unless it’s buried. Maybe a leased tank at $50 a year. I’m in Kentucky…
Yes it seems that what I was told by the contractor was pretty ridiculous. I am thinking he did not want to do the job so he made things over priced?
I agree the price is really high, but for piece of mind it is worth every penny. My wife and I are both 79 years old, and we did with a portable generator for years, and like everyone we had the hassle of trying to find fuel for extended outage, not fun. Also no central air, not live able in florida without it. Yes a portable generator is cheaper if you like all the hassle. Not for us anymore. Just spend the money and try to enjoy your life, you only live once.
Yes for people of your age it would make sense to have a generac system if you can afford it.
Well said, can you do the numbers on window replacement next?
@@ducknorris233 well that would have way too many variables.
@@Bbernhardsr I can’t make the numbers work on windows replacement but it might just be me because I know people paying good tens of thousands on it and they seem to be very satisfied.
@@ducknorris233 from what I have figured out on my own home is that window replacement is pointless if your exterior walls are not insulated properly. If your walls are good then upgrading your windows could have a positive impact on utility bills. It is also equally important to have your ceiling insulation adequate.
@@Bbernhardsr sounds right , I went with solar screens on the windows for about $1k
Still at the end of the day it still seems like the Generac is not cost effective for the average person. The average person who wants to run their fridges, water heater, stove. The average person who doesn't want to spend $300+ a day on propane to run the thing.
Is it nice? Yes. Does it make things simple and effortless? Yes. Is it made for the average person? No. This is a product designed for the wealthy person.
I'm looking at a 20Kw Briggs and Stratton home generator. Parts are everywhere. (most Generac parts are proprietary, i.e. increased costs), 10 year warranty covers all parts, labor and travel costs for technicians. Not sure of other price comparisons however, but I like the parts availability and warranty coverage already. and ...Oh, yes, mine will be a natural gas hookup instead of propane
Yes, it is "damned" foolishness to get something: that will not to be used for long period times! And even if you have a blizzard for 8 days with no electricity, etc, it is not worth it. Or other short scenarios. It is simply throwing away; an incredible amount of money.
Bah-Humbug! They can have it. I have lived here in my home for 47 yrs. And I only would have used a Gen for a very few times. So I will just "weather" it out; with electricity outs! And use THAT money, when is worth it!
End of Story and I rest me case...
Well said!
Happy that I watched this
Is the "Generac installation only" a regional thing? Because that's absolutely not the case here in Texas. There are at least a handful of websites you can order a Generac generator (Home Depot, etc) literally have it delivered to your door... and there are probably a dozen electricians in just my area that do installs.
This is just what we were told here in Palatka Fl.
@@Bbernhardsr Hmm, that's a bummer. Have a friend just west of Tallahassee and they didn't have to do that.
Late to the game, but in terms of sizing the Generac unit, the stated kW for a unit is assuming liquid propane as the fuel source. If the fuel source for the Generac is natural gas, the effective kW is lower. Therefore, an authorized rep may recommend a higher rated unit if using natural gas. p.s. I am not affiliated with Generac. I am researching the possibility of getting one.
Well I guess I’m the odd one here. I’m in TN and yes the 22kw installed was $13k. But since I’m using Natural Gas ⛽️ and not propane … at 50% it cost me like $25 and like $50 at full load.
You probably should not use propane and just use natural gas. If you cannot … then I feel sorry for you. A week at full load is less than 2 days in a hotel. Still worth being at home & secure to me.
Just had a 26kw generac generator total cost was 15990.00 have put it on LNG fuel haven’t had to use it yet. House is 2500 sq foot I’ll report back once I get the fuel bill
From what I have read lng should be way more efficient. It will be interesting to see the hourly usage under different loads.
I agree with your conclusion.
3:24 YUP! Propane is expensive! My neighbor said the same about her 20K. I have an Onan diesel, consumes about a half gallon/hour.
IMO a diesel generator that runs at 1800 rpm is the best generator setup.
Thank you!!!
You're welcome!
I question being able to run an electric stove or dryer on a 5K generator. That said, I have a champion inverter gen. and it runs my camper all night long on 1 gal. of gasoline. Had to put a soft start on the AC unit. I also have a 5k I can power my house on with the exception of the well pump and dryer. Sure, it may operate them short term but you will get low voltage which will harm all other appliances. I went with Generac 26Kw and will do install myself. 30 years for electric & gas utility as system protection tech. You must take into account the health of the grid and experience of employees. Outages will be much longer in the future. The worst think about non standby gensets is you have to start and maintain them in the very worst conditions outside. Also consider the Amish don't need electricity at all.
I have operated a stove and a dryer on a 5K genset before. When hurricane Matthew hit us we were without power for a very long time. I would have to run the large appliances one at a time of course. I would run the water heater for an hour, then I would cook food with the stove then laundry would be done separate.
There are a few things I would like to point out.
1. A home owner can install their own Generac generator and do their own maintenance, as long as the generator was installed correctly and you keep records for proof of maintenance it will not void the warranty.
2. A good installer will do a load calculation on your home and size the generator to carry the load.
3. Your comparing a whole home generator to your portable generator. If price is a concern I can install a 7.5 kw whole house generator with a 16 circuit automatic transfer switch for roughly $4000.00 this would compare more to a portable generator. You would only be able to run certain circuits in your home. There are also other ways to connect this to your house without an automatic transfer switch which would allow you to choose what circuits you use.
4. A stove is a 50amp 240 volt=12000watt load, that's roughly 8 kw after
adjustments. I can't see how you could run that with a 5000 watt portable gen. Maybe 1 burner at a time lol.
The same goes for the hotwater tank 30a 240volt=7200 watts. 4500watts adjusted. This would have maxed the portable gen. Did you have to turn off your lights to run the water tank? Same with dryer.
5. The larger generators can be costly to install but if sized correctly you will never even notice when you loose power. Turn on the AC watch TV. Take a shower and cook a meal all at the same time.
6. If your power is out the hotels in your area are probably without power as well. The ones that have power are probably full of people who don't have a generator.
7. You didn't factor in the cost of multiple gas containers the time to drive to the gas station, who may not have power,and the price of gas to keep the portable running.
The frustration of trying to start your portable unit during a storm , and then find out it won't crank because you forgot to drain the fuel after your last use. Or the battery is dead because you forgot to put a trickle charge on it.
@@charles-hu8ru those are some valid points but there are some problems with it.
1. Your assuming that when using a oven/stove that you will be consuming the max circuit ampacity of 50A. This is not true. The average oven bake element is 3,600 watts. A small stove top element is average 1,200 watts. So yes you can not run the stove at full bore, but with common sense and an amp clamp meter on the generator output you can safely use all of a 5,000 watt generators output without overloading it. Obviously you will have to turn other things off.
2. A water heater with dual elements does not run them both at the same time. I have a video on my channel demonstrating this if you would like to see it. Most water heaters contain either a 3,500 watt element or a 4,500 watt element. Either option is still within the capacity of a 5kw generator. On average a refrigerator draws about 300 to 800 watts during startup and drops down to 150 to 300 watts while running. So even with these large appliances going there is still enough room to have a fridge and some lights on.
3. Now the heaviest load is the dryer but it is still doable. They pull from 3,000 to 5,000 watts. This is still possible but again requires common sense.
4. Your other comments about fuel and the generator not running due to poor maintenance are assuming that the person does not have any common sense. People who do not have common sense will not bother with anything I have said in my video. They do not like any type of hassle in their lives and the idea of dragging out a generator and hooking it up will not appeal to them. They will have the automatic standby generator installed. Also there are others who physically are not able to do such a thing.
The point of this video was to go over the cost in detail so people can have an understanding of what it actually takes to own and operate this piece of equipment.
The last thing I have to disagree with you on is the service. Now if you have read any of the comments you will realize that Generac reps tell their customers different stories in different parts of the country. Maybe where you are from you can do your own maintenance but here in Palatka FL the generac rep told us to keep the warranty, the maintenance has to be done by an authorized generac install company. At the time of this video generac stopped allowing 3rd party installers because they were not doing the work properly. This meant the only option was you had to purchase a service plan from generac themselves. Also I do not know where you are from but here in Palatka FL the average homeowner CAN NOT install their own generator. Sure you can put it in place and possibly get a majority of the electrical done but it will have to be inspected and passed. Also you can forget about doing your own gas service work. That has to be done by a professional.
I Spent Only $ 3,000 🤑💰 for everything for 12 k portable Generator and i installed and built a Generator Shed and a Plywood Muffler Silencer To Reduce Noise Down to 58 db at 15 ft.... I know we are different in doing things 😂❤
Generac doesn’t install generators, they only make them. Takes a local “Authorized “ electrician/plumber.
@@wesjohnson9500 again, this is what we were told by a generac representative in our area during that time.
natural gaz is better and cheaper in canada thanks for info eye opener
No problem 👍
thanks for the info ,, and also if you don't mind Can you please specify what model number of Honda inverter generator you might have
Well it all depends on what you want to power. Me personally I have two inverter generators from Sams club. They are A-iPower SUA2300i inverter generators. Currently the price is $399. They come with everything needed to run in parallel unlike other brands that require separate components to be purchased. I have almost 400 hours on each generator and the only issue I ever had was running regular gas made them run poorly. I only run ethanol free fuel in them now.
With one generator it can power up to 15 amps. If I need more then I hook the other up in parallel for 30 amps.
Now that is for unexpected power outages. If I am getting ready for a hurricane I have a briggs and stratton storm responder 6250 that can be hooked directly into the main panel. That will power everything except for the central AC. A window unit can be put into the living room to pull some humidity out and make the house more bearable. I have to only run one major appliance at at time. If I want hot water then I flip the water heater on and let it run until heated and turn it off. I can run my oven to cook dinner. I can run the dryer if I need to do laundry.
Last time I ran the whole house setup was during hurricane Irma in 2017. We were without power for about 2 weeks. I had two refrigerators and a deep freezer running the whole time. Back then I spent less than $400 in fuel for that entire time. With a wife and five kids it kept us all in good shape with food to eat, showers to take, and able to do laundry.
Yes it is a bit more work than a fully automated Generac but it is way more affordable.
@@Bbernhardsr thank you so much for the information.
These issues are NOT from Generac corp. Generac does NOT do installation, sales, or service direct from the factory. This info is all from a local dealership. Yes, there are shoddy installers.... and there are shoddy installers with EVERY brand. The difference is that Generac has about 90% of the residential market so you hear about it more often. You are also not comparing apples to apples, using portable units (with limited capacity) instead of a fully automatic system. People who buy a standby set are not willing to shlep fuel on a daily basis, move their set in and out of the garage daily, and manually select the appliances that need power. Most just want to turn them on and off, the same as they do when the utility is up. They also have no worry when they are at work and the kids are there with the babysitter.... or if they are away and pipes will freeze. BTW, you also have to know your cost to run a gen set (mostly fuel) will be 6-8 times more that you pay for utility power, no matter what fuel you use. Yes, diesel sets will use less fuel, but comparing apples to apples, that diesel set will cost about 50% more up front than a gas set with the same features.
Agreed. Also I have mentioned in the video and in the title that this is MY experience with Generac AND for ME the cost to run the system is too much so we chose a more affordable option. So take my opinion for a grain of salt. I do understand where these systems have their applications. This video was intended to show people the other costs associated with getting the system because none of that is clear when you see the price tag at home depot.
@@Bbernhardsr ... agreed. The only real beef I have is it leads people to think this is Generac's doing, when so much of the information is based on local variables.... and propane is bought well in advance (in large quantity) instead of fuel by the 5 gallon can. Lots of people can't grasp that situation. Of course, the same people don't sit down and do a spread sheet on the cost laid out over the 20 year life span, which are easier numbers to swallow. I'm with you and did the same thing back in 1988 when I bought that portable gen set. (still have it) but now I am 70 years old and I am starting to look at things requiring less manual labor, especially when the weather is crappy.
Good info!
Starting current on big air conditioning
compressors and blower motor for furnace. Washer and Dryer motor start
This why they want 22,000 watt to cover these loads.
A 24,000 watt generator is not out of the question.
Yes you are right about inductive motors drawing large amounts of current on startup. Our plan originally was to not use the central AC and just put a smaller window ac in temporarily. This would allow us to get a smaller generator.
@@BbernhardsrPut a MicroAir unit on your AC and it reduce your inrush current by at least 50%, and probably more like 70%. Then you can get away with a portable generator starting around the 4000 watt level.
That reminds me why I decided not to get one
Thank you! I had a very naive question regarding the runtime costs: will the generator produce a fixed amount regardless of the load or would it modulate according to the load. It sounds like it will always produce a fixed amount regardless of the load - is that correct?
Your saying "produce" but what I am assuming your asking is if the engine runs at a steady rpm? If that is what you are asking then yes. The engine runs at a set rpm no matter what the load is on the generator. Only inverter generators vary the engine rpm based of electrical demand.
@@Bbernhardsr yes, that's what I meant, thank you!
Wouldn't it be more economical to use natural gas?
Yes but unfortunately for us it is not available.
The con is on.
$16,000 seems hella expensive I just had a 24KW Generac Inverter generator plus a 500 gallon propane tank installed with it and filled for less than $13,000 had a 7-day power outage during the ice storms last year my 500 gallon tank was still just over halfway full when power come back on the 7th Day. It really sounds to me like that contractor or wherever you got this information from someone there was blowing smoke up your butt. Also don't know where you live but your price of propane per gallon is expensive as hell eastfield mine up middle of May 2023 and it was only $2.06 per gallon here in Arkansas.
This is Florida so that explains the price difference in fuel. You also said the key word. You have an inverter generator. An inverter generator is way more fuel efficient than the standard generator. We got our information from a generac sales rep.
WOW......I had no idea it used so much fuel.
Yes that is one of the disadvantages to using LP or CNG vs Gasoline. Propane as not as energy dense as Gasoline. But one of the plus sides is that if you have city gas hookup then you don't have to worry about it because you have an endless supply.
Gas at $4.50 a gallon now, re compute cost…
Well gas and lpg cost are two different animals. I do know that the cost of cng has doubled so I would imagine that lpg has probably doubled as well. So take the cost for fuel I have and double it.
Getting my quote in two weeks. Interested to see the difference.
Let us know what it is.
@@Bbernhardsr sure will!
gotta have deep pockets
Real deep!
When did Generac require only them to install? Their website has service, install sales etc, am I misinterpreting what your saying?
No you are not mistaken in what I am saying. This is what Generac themselves told us here in NE Florida. I asked about what your saying and the answer we received from the Generac salesman was that there have been too many 3rd party installers over the years that did shotty work. They did not install units properly. The customers would have issues and the installers would not come back and fix the problems that they created. Then customers would call Generac and they would get stuck with having to deal with the mess. So to solve this problem Generac decided to not allow 3rd party installers to install their equipment.
This is what we were told by Generac in August of 2021. Now I do not know if this is just an issue in my area or is nation wide. This is a fairly new decision because my friend had one installed in 2019 and he used a 3rd party installer. His 20KW generator only cost him around 6K or 7K though and not the 13K.
I am not sure how you can say that what I stated are based on my "personal assumptions." I am saying what I was told by a person who works for Generac. If you are telling me what the Generac spokesperson told me is wrong information, how am I supposed to know that? How do you know more than the people who actually work for Generac? Do you work for Generac yourself? Are you an authorized service person or service provider for Generac? Why should I believe you (a person who simply commented on my video) over the Generac representative that came to my father in laws house?
@@Bbernhardsr some of the comments aren’t showing up, are you asking me this question?
@@dan8220 yes you are the one accusing me of basically making things up.
@@Bbernhardsr don’t see where you got that from a question I ask. Your really quick to jump the gun.
However I have ask a forum of dealers and installers that install hundreds of them as well as ziller electric that sells thousands of units and they have no such information and they say that is not the case. I believe you were an isolated case for some reason. I posted the website forum link but for some reason it is not showing. This is just not true nationwide.
There's so much to say here, I don't know where to begin.
Let's first clear up your mistake: a 250 gallon tank doesn't actually hold 250 gallons of propane. They don't fill up propane tanks beyond 80%, to give room for expansion. So you're getting 200 gallons, or $800 a fill up.
Next, why on earth would you calculate fuel consumption at 50% or 100% load? If you need to use 100% of you're generator's power output all the time, then your generator is too small. Get a bigger generator or you're going to kill it. You should aim for 25% usage throughout the course of the day. Maybe for a short time you need 100% power, maybe for longer periods, you'll need 50%, but at night time, you'll go long stretches where you're probably using less than 1kW. So yeah, you'll get more runtime than what you're calculating.
Next, I love how so many of you, "why do you need such a big generator" guys project YOUR energy needs onto everyone else. If you're using fossil fuel to heat your home and water, run your cooktop and your dryer, then yeah, you can get away with a way smaller generator. Great for you. But there are more and more people who are moving to all electric homes. For those people, 5kW won't cut it.
What if you live on well water? Again, a tiny generator won't cut it.
Those cheap $500 generators have very high THD, so you're taking a chance that they won't fry your appliances and electronics. So if you're going to compare apples to apples, at least compare a whole house generator to an inverter generator or a quality portable. My point is to get a portable generator with a THD of 6% or less, you're paying at least $2k.
Yes, there's no doubt that installation costs are way higher going whole house vs portable. It's a luxury that many are willing to pay for, however.
Well there is so much to respond to so where do I begin. People make mistakes so yes a 250 gallon propane tank only holds 200 gallons of propane. This actually makes things worse because my run time numbers will be even less than they were.
Secondly I used the 50% and 100% figures because that is the information that generac gives on their website. Many people including myself can easily exceed that 100% rating so why not add that into the equation?
Third, your concerned about clean power. Have you ever hooked up an oscilloscope to a generac? All power from any generator that is not an inverter generator is dirty. I don't care if it is a harbor freight brand or Honda.
I made this video to give people a real world idea on what it will cost to own one of these units. These costs are not discussed by the generac rep.
So at the end of the day as you can see in the comment section this info has helped a lot of people make the decision if they want to spend this much money.
24kw, installed, natural gas - $8300.
@@michaelp.Watermaker location?
@@Bbernhardsr SE Louisiana, about an hour out of New Orleans.
@@michaelp.Watermaker I guess your lucky you don't live in Florida because it would be double that price!
if your paying 4$ a gallon for propane you need something different
Well it would be nice if we the people had some kind of say so on fuel prices but we don't.
Generac has an inverter generator, also a 7.5Kw designed for LP at 0.87 gal per hour. If you are doing a comparison comparison apples to apples, and oranges to oranges. Big fuel difference between a 22KW and a 7.5Kw, and your Honda 5Kw. Too bad you missed the point…
Generac would not install what we wanted. A 7.5Kw will not run your whole house. We had to go with what the contractor said we needed (22Kw generator) even though we originally wanted a 12Kw generator. Also look at the date at which I posted this video. At that time Generac DID NOT have any inverter generators. Sorry I could not see into the future and put those variables into my math to make you satisfied.
@@Bbernhardsr Good job going through your cost analysis. I do have close friends that had a Generac system installed on their house probably 10 or 12 years ago, but I’ve never asked them about the LP cost to run it. We live in SC and don’t have too many power outages caused by severe winter weather. We do get the occasional severe storm in the summer time which sometimes causes trees to fall on above-ground power lines. Most of the time, power gets restored in a relatively short period of time. Having a Generac whole home system is much like having Insurance… “you only need it when you need it”!! Consumers just have to decide whether the high purchase price + fuel cost is something you can live without in case of an emergency. Just my opinion, of course.
@@2020Tundra and that is an excellent opinion. That is why I put "(for me)" in the title. If the fuel cost was not that much of a concern for me then I would love to have one. I think they are the best you can get if you can afford it. I alse hear now they have an inverter model which should use a lot less fuel.
@@Bbernhardsr My initial response was in agreement with everything you stated. I also agree with your sentiment here and would like to have one too.
But you can buy these generators directly from Lowes. How can they force you to use their installers for a product sold by others? Not buying this story. Sounds like a Floriduh story.
Obviously you don't read. Yes this was in Florida and if you read I clearly stated this is what we were told by Generac. Now if you read the comments, other people in other parts of the country are told different things so clearly Generac has different policies for different parts of the country just like in different counties and municipalities you may or may not have to have a permit to install this. I'm not real sure why that is so complicated for you to understand? But nobody says you have to buy the story just move on with your life.
@@jcx5659 also you are clearly not smart enough to put two and two together. I stated that the problem Generac was having is that the subcontractors that were installing the generators were not installing them properly therefore voiding the warranties. Do you really think that Lowe's itself comes out and installs these generators at your home? LOL no they hire subcontractors to do the work.
@@Bbernhardsr
I read just fine. Just not buying your story. No I don't live in Florida and they aren't saying what YOU SAY, where I live.
@@Bbernhardsr Lowes sells these generators. Anyone can buy one and install it anyway they can. You are full of it. Sorry for pointing out that FACT.
@@jcx5659 you are a full on retard. You can not just install anything you want on your house. I don't know where you live but here in Palatka FL we have these people called city inspectors. They actually drive around and if they find that you are doing something like installing a whole house generator without pulling permits first, you will be facing fines. Hell, your not even allowed to turn your own water off at the meter. You have to call and have them do that.
The only FACT here beside my post is that you are very good and making yourself look like a dumbass. Just because a big box store sells something doesn't mean that you can just slap it on your house yourself.
Lowes sells main panels with meter cans built in. Do you think you can install that yourself without pulling permits?
coming from a solar/generator salesman you are getting screwed... shouldn't have spent more than 12000
Well luckily we didn't spend anything on it. We didn't get it.
14Kw, inatalled, $8900. Natural gas. You can't blame Generac for biden's fuel price hike.
Well this was all before the fuel price hike. I feel like they just didn't want to do the job so they priced it high enough that we wouldn't get it.
Here we go again another Moran blaming Biden again on fuel costs
@@Scott-pg3ut um, who's the moron? Biden stops all new drilling, bans new oil and gas leases. Yes, that was biden. Remember supply and demand? Decrease supply while demand goes up, leads to higher prices. So, who's the moron, moron?
@@markiskool your a moran... Opec sets the prices not the president Plenty of permits for US oil companies to drill that go unused because it costs more for American companies to drill the oil from shell then it does to import it from over another country the US barely made any of pumped any of our oil that's how much of a moron you are coming in on something, you don't even know what you're talking about Plenty of permits for US oil companies to drill that go unused because it costs more for American companies to drill the oil from shell then it does to import it from over another country the US barely made any of pumped any of our oil that's how much of a moron you are coming in on something, you don't even know what you're talking about...so when Bush Jr. Was president in 06 and 07 and gas was $4.45 a gallon I bet you blamed him to right..keep listening to Alex Jones they need your support..😅🤣
@@Scott-pg3ut supply and demand, puppy, go back to your mothers teat, maybe you'll learn something about the other pups.
BTW, what do you do for a living? How old are you? Do you own your own home? Do you pay your own way? Based on your answers, I might take you seriously.
You're seem to be giving a lot of questionable information.
Evidently you also live in an area that has extremely high propane costs and you didn't even check on any propane yearly savings plans.
Hopefully, people will personally checkout facts for themselves, since yours aren't even close to truth around here.
Have a good day.
You seem to be quite the negative Nancy. I clearly stated the information I have is from a generac sales rep who came out to our house. The fuel consumption numbers came directly from generac's own website. The cost of propane came directly from our local propane supplier. So how in the world you can assume this is speculative is beyond me.
If the prices are different for you then congratulations that is wonderful for you, but don't come on my channel and say my information is questionable. Where is your evidence to backup your slanderous claim?
You have no idea what your talking about lol.. you don’t see value in it but people with money definitely see the value..
Yeah you said it right! People with money. For the normal everyday people like me and the MAJORITY of our country, it is hard to justify purchasing an item such as this. Keep in mind that these prices were before inflation and fuel costs rising.
I would like to know how you assume that I don't know what I am talking about. The numbers I had were directly from Generac and the fuel prices were directly from my local propane supplier. These were exact figures for the most part and not assumptions.
The price I said back when this video was made is far more expensive now.
@@Bbernhardsr you are slandering a product with very limited knowledge.. you have many many “facts” that are totally wrong.. your fuel consumption is ridiculous, and you saying Generac is covering their backs by saying you need a 22KW for a home that could “probably” been ok with a 12 kw.. are you an hvac person? No I doubt it, hvac people can afford these.. you can not power an ac compressor with a 12 kw.. even a 3 ton ac requires a 14 kw if it is running other items in the home.. they are not a big portable.. they don’t power items, they power EVERYTHING in the breaker box.. the requirements that you claim Generac are requiring are not required by Generac, but by they code in your city or state.. everywhere you go the code is different.. instead of bashing a product and trying to hurt someone’s brand (just because you can’t afford it).. how bout you just say it’s a great concept but it’s not for me..
@@marksmith8835 now you clearly don't know what you are talking about and you are clearly a troll. The person who came to our house was a Generac rep. This is the info he gave us. So I guess you are saying that he is a liar?
The fuel consumption rates I stated were directly from Generac's website. As a matter of fact I am a HVAC technician. I put my self through school and obtained my own EPA certification.
Maybe you should quit shooting your mouth off on things you clearly have no idea about. You obviously have no idea how much startup current an AC compressor requires. It is not uncommon for a compressor to momentarily require 80+ amps for startup.
My facts are facts. They were given to me by a Generac rep who came to our house. The other facts were given by Generac's own website. Until you post some evidence of this slander you claim, your disagreement with what I have said is just that. Nothing more than a disagreement. Just because you don't like what I said doesn't make it untrue. You may live in a liberal area where they live by that kind of mentality, but it does not apply here.
@@Bbernhardsr I actually do know what I am talking about as I am a Generac installer.. your info is total garbage.. if you had a Generac rep tell you that you should know.. Generac don’t have reps.. Generac is the supplier and uses distributors.. if you had a rep come to your home he was a 100% commission rep that may have not known what he was doing.. and as for an hvac? Let’s say that’s true, do you think a generator only powers the ac compressor? The ac is the hardest hit but if the ac pulls to much it will shut the generator down unless the ac is put on a load shed.. I am not a troll I do have a vested interest in having a product that I believe in slandered on a platform like this without setting the record straight.. again just because you can’t afford it, it gives you no right to go on here and try to bash a product when you are clearly uninformed.. I can’t imagine a person that has enough time on his hands to hand write all of this and then go on and on for as long as you did, and then announce yourself as the final decision as to whether it is worth it.. how would you feel if a 70 year old person that is in need of power to possibly stay alive, decided to not purchase a generator based on your recommendation and then lost power in the winter for 5 days and died? Would you feel good that you saved someone from the heart ache of a few extra dollars to protect themselves?? You should remove this post
@@marksmith8835 well now I know why you are so butt hurt. You got skin in the game.
You can get mad all you want but what I said was factual and just because it may hurt your profit margins does not mean I shouldn't tell people the truth.
You do however need to learn how to read. You can see by the title of this video that it says "generac cost (for me)" which means this it what I was quoted by Generac. If you would have bothered to read the video description it also says that I am aware costs could vary depending on location. Lastly, if you would have bothered to listen than you would hear me state after I broke it all down that this system would be good for life critical equipment. So nice try trying to guilt trip me with the 70 year old person who may die now after watching my video.
If you would like to continue making yourself look like an ass hat just let me know. I am telling people what we were told by Generac. I have no idea if the salesman was commissioned, or maybe didn't know what he was talking about. What I do know is I have no reason to believe the person Generac sent out to the house had any reason to lie. What I do hear is you saying that the Generac rep was a liar, Generac's website is lying (according to you), and by me repeating what I was told verbatim, I am lying.
Feel free to NOT watch my videos. In fact go make your own with proof showing how I am lying.