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The number on the box is not the number you get
Generators are sold by their starting watts. That is a burst that lasts a few seconds while a motor spins up. What you live on is running watts, and it is often a fifth to a quarter lower. Run on propane and it drops about another 10 percent. Size by running watts and you will not be let down in the first outage.
Add up your watts See the 5 generators we'd shortlist
Safety first, every time
- Carbon monoxide kills. Never run a generator indoors, in a garage, in a shed or on a porch, even with the door open. Keep it at least 20 feet from the house. Point the exhaust away from windows, doors and vents. Put battery CO alarms inside your home.
- Never backfeed. Do not plug a generator into a wall outlet or dryer outlet. It can kill a utility worker or a neighbor and can start a fire. To power home circuits you need a transfer switch or an interlock kit, installed by a licensed electrician.
- Without that, run heavy-duty outdoor extension cords from the generator straight to each appliance.
- Let the engine cool before you refuel. Store fuel outside the house.
Guides
- The 5 best portable generators in 2026, by running watts
Five portable, dual-fuel and inverter generators for home backup and camping, compared by running watts on gas and on propane, not the number in the title.
- What size generator do you need?
Pick your appliances and get the running watts and starting surge you need. Plus why the number in a generator's name is not the one to size by.
- Inverter or open frame: which kind do you need?
Inverter generators are quieter and make cleaner power. Open-frame units give more watts and 240 volts. How to pick, and what noise claims leave out.
- Propane gives you less power. Here is how much
Propane cuts running watts by about 10 percent on the dual-fuel models we checked. Plus how to read 'up to 12 hours' runtime claims.