How Propane Appliances Help You Right-Size Your Home Generator

ekoorb11
3 days ago
2 min read

Backup power is becoming a must-have for modern homes, but many homeowners end up overspending on generators that are larger than necessary. The key to avoiding that? Propane appliances.

In our latest video, we walk through exactly how propane reduces electrical load—allowing you to select a smaller, more efficient, and more affordable standby generator for your home: 👉 Watch the video here: https://youtu.be/Do10L93kHkM

Why Proper Generator Sizing Matters

During an outage, a generator must handle the highest electrical demand placed on it. Many all-electric appliances—especially those with heating elements—draw enormous amounts of power. This forces homeowners into oversized generators, oversized transfer switches, and higher installation costs.

Propane is the simplest and most effective way to bring those electrical loads down.

How Propane Appliances Reduce Electrical Load

Propane appliances replace the largest electrical consumers in a home, which dramatically lowers the kilowatts required for backup power.

Here’s how propane makes such a difference:

Propane Furnace

Electric heating can require 10,000–20,000 watts.A propane furnace uses propane for heat and needs only a few hundred watts to run the blower.

Propane Water Heater (Tank or Tankless)

Electric water heaters often pull 4,500 watts.Propane water heaters operate with minimal electrical demand, significantly lowering backup power needs.

Propane Cooktop & Oven

Electric ranges commonly consume 5,000+ watts.Propane cooking appliances eliminate most of that load completely.

Propane Clothes Dryer

Electric dryers require 4,000–6,000 watts.Propane dryers rely on propane for heat and use only a small electric motor.

When you remove these high-wattage appliances from the generator load calculation, the required system size drops—often by several kilowatts.

The result?A smaller generator, a smaller transfer switch, and a much lower total installation cost.

Real Benefits for Homeowners & Builders

1. Smaller, More Affordable Generators

Propane lowers electrical demand so effectively that many homes can step down to a significantly smaller generator.

2. Lower Transfer Switch Costs

A reduced load means you can use simpler, more economical switching equipment.

3. Proven Resilience in Outages

Propane appliances keep essential systems running even during extended power interruptions—hot water, heat, cooking, and laundry all remain available.

4. Better Load Management

With fewer high-wattage appliances tied to the generator, the system runs with headroom instead of maxed out.

5. Cleaner Energy with Better Efficiency

Propane delivers dependable performance with lower emissions compared to many electric heating alternatives.

Propane + Backup Power = A Stronger, More Resilient Home

Resilience isn’t optional anymore. Between extreme weather, grid strain, and rising homeowner expectations, backup power is becoming standard in new home construction.

Propane appliances allow you to: