Upgrade to automatic backup power for whole house
For one customer in Villanova, the news from superstorm Sandy was the last straw after decades of weathering day and multi-day Lower Merion power outages. The customer quickly settled on a 20kW Guardian model from Generac, which turned out to be well-suited for the power consumption later calculated for the home. Although not quite sufficient to meet the highest reasonable peak load baking with an electric oven on a hot day with central AC running, the Generac system includes a load shedding module that turns off loads, such as HVAC, that can be easily controlled using existing 24V thermostatic control circuits.
Automatic backup generator sited in a little-used side yard.
Installation included rigid gas line plumbing to the generator, and coordination with PECO natural gas service, to upgrade the gas meter capacity needed to fuel the generator under peak loads.
The 48″ x 26″ unit sited unobtrusively outside the side of the house farthest from the entry drive, between two widely-spaced windows.
We consolidated and simplified the electrical distribution equipment, by inserting the automatic transfer switch ahead of the main breaker panel, and combining branch circuits from two existing, over-filled panels into a single panel having adequate circuit breaker slots for all existing and some future loads.
Generac’s most cost-effective kits for whole-house generator backup come with a 200A transfer switch, so we had to upgrade the existing 150A service equipment to match the included disconnect/breaker switch. Thanks to our policy of holding the line with quotes unless the customer initiates a change, the upgrade in capacity and replacement of aged equipment was a free bonus to the customer. The upgraded 200A service consolidated an abandoned off-peak tariff meter location no longer of use in PECO territory, with the equipment footprint on the wall reduced. Stucco repair will cover the filler where the old equipment had mounted. See before/after photos, below:
Free bonus upgrade to 200A underground service to match generator transfer switch
Before: Rusting pre-existing 150A service w abandoned off peak meter
See also:
- 2012 Electrical costs guide — backup generators
- Options for residential emergency power
- 7kW residential critical loads backup generator
- 7-20kW automatic backup generators for homes
Licensed Electrician Robert Monk 20kW generator brings relief from power outages in Philadelphia suburbs Copyright Robert Monk, 2012
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