5 Best Home Generators (2023 Guide)

Table of Contents: Our Top Recommendations | Buyer’s Guide | Home Generator Safety Tips | Home Energy Consumption Chart | FAQs | Additional Resources | Why You Can Trust Us

A home generator runs your home’s essential appliances in the event of a power outage. To help you find the model that has enough power for your home, we at the This Old House Reviews Team researched the best home generators available.

For those of you that are in the market for an emergency backup power system, here are our top recommendations, tips, and answers to common consumer questions.

You can also read our comprehensive generator buying guide to learn more about the most important factors for buying a generator.

Top 5 Home Generators

• Best Portable Home Generator: Jackery Portable Power Station
• Easiest Generator To Start: Westinghouse Portable Generator
• Best Inverter Generator: Champion Power Equipment Open-Frame Inverter
• Most Powerful Home Generator: DuroMax Electric-Start Generator
• Best Home Generator Design: DuroStar Gas-Powered Portable Generator

Compare Top Rated Home Generators

Best Portable Home Generator: Jackery Portable Power Station

Key Features

• Charges using car outlets, wall outlets, or solar panels
• Operates at 1,000 watts
• Weighs 22 pounds
• Backed by a two-year warranty

What Customers Are Saying

We found that customers who liked the Jackery Portable Power Station frequently mentioned its durability, easy setup, and reliability, especially considering its cost. Out of the limited negative reviews, one user mentioned the product emitting a bad smell, and one mentioned an unsteady flow.

Easiest Generator To Start: Westinghouse Portable Generator

Key Features

• Runs for up to 11 hours on a 6.6-gallon fuel tank
• Operates at 7,500 running watts and 9,500 peak watts
• Weighs 192 pounds
• Backed by a three-year warranty

What Customers Are Saying

Our research showed that customers recommended tis generator for being affordable and easy to assemble. Several customers also liked its long runtime and industry-leading efficiency. However, we did notice some unsatisfied customers had issues with operating the generator’s battery or communicating with the company’s customer service team.

Best Inverter Generator: Champion Power Equipment Open-Frame Inverter

Key Features

• Runs for up to 13.5 hours on gasoline
• Operates at 5,000 running watts and 6,250 peak watts
• Weighs 121 pounds
• Backed by a three-year warranty

What Customers Are Saying

We saw that happy customers liked the Champion Power Equipment Open-Frame Inverter for its range of features, including its fuel shut-off valve, wireless remote, and multiple outlet options. Others liked it for its ability to deliver house-wide power with little distortion. We also noticed that unsatisfied customers said that getting in touch with customer support was difficult.

Most Powerful Home Generator: DuroMax Electric-Start Generator

Key Features

• Runs on an 8.3-gallon fuel tank
• Operates at 10,500 running watts and 13,000 peak watts
• Weighs 227 pounds
• Backed by a three-year warranty

What Customers Are Saying

When looking through customer reviews of this product, we saw that several said that the DuroMax generator earned high ratings for its easy-to-understand instructions, reliability, and value. One reviewer said that it was able to power items around their house for 77 hours during a hurricane. Still, we saw that some unsatisfied users said that the generator didn’t work as advertised.

Best Home Generator Design: DuroStar Gas-Powered Portable Generator

Key Features

• Runs for up to 15 hours on an 8.3-gallon fuel tank
• Operates at 8,000 running watts and 10,000 peak watts
• Weighs 129 pounds
• Backed by a one-year warranty

What Customers Are Saying

Our team noticed that customers who liked the DuroStar Gas-Powered Portable Generator often mentioned its quick setup, ease of use, portability, and value. Of the unsatisfied customers, we saw a handful say that their order was missing parts and that they encountered a lack of customer support when they tried to resolve the issue.

Buyer’s Guide to the Best Home Generators

Before buying a home generator, it’s important to consider how its design and specifications impact its performance. Here are four factors our team found to be the most critical to think about before making a purchase.

Home Generator Types

Home generators are available in a variety of models, with some of the most popular being home standby generators, portable generators, inverter generators, and portable power stations.

• Standby: Standby generators connect directly to your home’s electrical panel to automatically turn on during a power outage. Most models run on natural gas, which is convenient but expensive.
• Portable: Portable generators, including the Westinghouse Portable Generator, are compact models that can move to various locations around your home. While they’re able to power large appliances for hours, they don’t provide whole-home power like home standby generators.
• Inverter: Inverter generators, including the Champion Power Equipment Open-Frame Inverter, are similar to portable generators in that they have built-in wheels for easy transportation and a gasoline fuel source. However, they adjust their amount of power based on the needs of the items they’re powering. This results in better fuel efficiency and a lower operational noise.
• Portable: Portable power stations, including the Jackery Portable Power Station, power smaller home appliances, such as coffee makers and hair dryers. They have an electrical battery that’s charged using a wall outlet, car outlet, or solar panel.

Wattage

Wattage refers to how much power a home generator supplies. The available power of a generator is measured in running watts, which typically ranges from 1,000-10,000 watts, according to our research. The higher the wattage, the larger the appliances the generator can run. For example, the 7,500-watt Westinghouse Portable Generator can supply power to a few of your home’s essential appliances, while the 1,000-watt Jackery Portable Power Station can power small devices and appliances.

Fuel and Power Sources

Generators use gasoline, diesel, propane, solar energy, or natural gas.

• Gasoline: Gas generators are the most common, but we highly recommend you use them cautiously to avoid carbon monoxide poisoning. They’re powerful but expensive.
• Diesel: This fuel is less common than gasoline. However, they’re efficient, and you can store them for long periods without a stabilizer. They’re also less of a fire hazard than gasoline-powered generators.
• Propane: Propane is common in larger standby generators. Though it burns fairly cleanly, it’s not as powerful as other fuel sources.
• Solar power: Solar generators are clean alternatives to gas-powered generators, and that cost you and the environment nothing. However, in the course of our research, we learned that solar generators must get several hours of direct sun exposure to operate. The solar charging time and power output a charge yields varies between models.
• Natural gas: This fuel source is exclusively for standby generators. Since it’s tied to your home’s natural gas line, you don’t have to worry about running out of fuel. However, it’s not that energy efficient.

Select machines are dual-fuel generators, meaning they can run on more than one of these fuel sources.

Generator Noise Levels

The noise level of a home generator varies depending on its running wattage and power source. Some generators list their decibel ratings in their product descriptions. For example, we determined that the Champion Power Equipment Open-Frame Inverter runs at about 69 decibels, which is similar to the sound of a vacuum cleaner.

How To Use a Home Generator Safely

Using a generator can be dangerous if you don’t take the proper precautions. Here are some critical steps you should take to ensure that you’re using your home generator safely:

• Don’t operate a gas generator in an enclosed area, such as a garage or shed, as this can lead to carbon monoxide buildup.
• Use a fuel stabilizer when you’re storing gasoline for an extended period of time, as destabilized gas can be a fire hazard.
• Operate your generator at least 20 feet away from your home to keep any carbon monoxide from making its way into your home.
• Install a transfer switch on your generator transfer between grid power and generator power. Using a transfer switch reduces the risk of electrocution and appliance damage. If you don’t feel confident in your ability to install a transfer switch, contact an electrician for you.
• Be cautious when you’re refueling your generator. Don’t refill it when it’s hot or near a heater or another warm object.
• Keep your generator at least five feet away from surrounding surfaces. This reduces the risk of these surfaces overheating, which could cause the items on them to catch on fire.
• Test your generator when you first get it to make sure that it runs properly. You don’t want to wait until an emergency in case it doesn’t work or you don’t understand how to use it.

How Much Energy Do Common Household Items Use?

While portable generators may provide enough power for lights and small electronics, they can’t power your entire household. The chart below estimates how much electricity common household appliances, devices, and equipment consume so you can find whole-home generator with enough wattage to meet the power needs of your household.

Frequently Asked Questions About Home Backup Generators

What type of home generator do I need?

The home generator you need depends on a variety of factors, including the type and wattage of the appliances you want to power.

For example, if you want to power small appliances, such as a coffee maker or television, we recommend investing in a portable power station.

However, if you want to power large appliances or your entire home, look into standby or whole house generators.

How much does a home generator cost?

While the price of a home use generator varies depending on the model, our research showed that most cost between $500 and $1,000.

How do portable generators create power?

Portable generators don’t actually create power. Instead, they turn chemical or mechanical energy into electrical energy by burning gas (usually liquid propane) to rotate an alternator, which induces an electrical current. This results in a power output that’s compatible with household appliances and devices.

Additional Generator Resources and Guides

Over the years, our power and generator experts here at This Old House have developed numerous resources for homeowners, contractors, and road-warriors. We’ve compiled a list of our most popular backup power and disaster preparedness guides below.

Whether you’re looking for information about different types of power generators, setup and installation, generator troubleshooting, severe weather preparation, or other tips, these resources can help:

• The 5 Best Portable Generators
• How To Install an Automatic Standby Generator
• Power on Demand: How It Works
• How To Wire a Portable Generator
• How To Install a Manual Transfer Switch for a Portable Generator
• How To Install a Transfer Switch for a Portable Generator
• 14 Supplies To Prepare for a Blizzard
• Disaster Supply Kit: How To Prepare for Severe Weather
• How To Provide Backup Power Without Gas

Why You Can Trust Us

This Old House has empowered homeowners for more than four decades with top-notch home improvement content in the form of television programs, print media, and digital content on its website and social media platforms.

In keeping with that theme, our Reviews Team focuses on creating in-depth product and service review content to help inform your purchasing decision for just about any item or resource that you might need for your home. At the time of publishing, our team has written over 1,000 reviews on products in the home space, from cordless drills to kitchen trash cans, lawn mowers, and dining room decorations.

We recommend products in each review using an intensive research process, spending hours combing through the latest and greatest models available. For a product to make our list of top picks, it must be in stock at one or more of our trusted retail partners, hold a solid sales record, have consistently positive customer reviews, and offer unique features, among other factors.

After narrowing down our list of recommendations, we conduct additional research and sometimes in-person testing to ensure that the products meet our standards.

Once we conclude the research phase, we craft a well-rounded, user-friendly article that includes our recommended products and additional information to help homeowners like you make the right purchase.

To share feedback or ask a question about this article, send a note to our Reviews Team at reviews@thisoldhousereviews.com.