Two Sizing Approaches
Essentials-only — refrigerator, freezer, some lights, internet, phone charging, one bedroom AC. 5,000–8,000 watts. Portable generator with an interlock kit or manual transfer switch. $2,000–$4,500 installed.
Whole-home — everything except the electric range and dryer, or truly everything with load management. 14,000–24,000+ watts. Standby (permanent) natural-gas or propane generator with an automatic transfer switch. $9,000–$18,000 installed.
Load Management
Modern automatic transfer switches include load-shed logic that lets a smaller generator handle a larger house by shutting down non-essential circuits when the AC or oven runs. A 14kW with load management can often serve a home that would otherwise need a 22kW.
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Orange County Considerations
SCE's PSPS (Public Safety Power Shutoff) events target foothill areas — Yorba Linda, parts of Orange and Anaheim Hills, and inland canyons. If you're in a mapped high-fire-threat district, standby generators are increasingly common and often bundled with battery backup.
Frequently Asked Questions
Should I get a battery instead?+
Batteries (Tesla Powerwall, Enphase, FranklinWH) work well for short outages and pair with solar. Generators handle multi-day outages without needing sunlight. Many customers install both.