Whole-House Generators in Newberry, SC

Homeowners in Newberry, SC and throughout the Columbia Area are more concerned than ever about extended power losses. Storms, fallen power lines, and excess strain on the grid can lead to homes losing their vital electrical power for hours or even days. At Fulmer Heating & Cooling, we know the best protection is a whole-house standby generator. You can rely on our team for whole-house generator installation and other services required to keep it ready to work for you.

• Proudly serving the Columbia Area since 1985
• 24/7 emergency service available
• Quality products and services delivered at a reasonable price

Our team of honest, reliable electricians offers a full range of electrical services to make your home a better and safer place to live. We have the experience and commitment to see that you have the generator that does the best job of ensuring your house has uninterrupted electricity.

Contact Fulmer Heating & Cooling to schedule your generator services today!

Do I Need a Whole Home Generator?

Not every home has a generator to supply it with electricity in the case of a power outage. That makes it seem as if generators aren’t a necessity, but only a luxury that probably won’t come in handy.

This is far from the truth! The number of power outages throughout the country has increased during the last decade because of several factors:

• An aging electrical grid
• An increase in the severity and frequency of storms
• Rising demand for electricity in homes
• Larger numbers of electricity-intensive facilities like factories and data centers

It’s far more likely that your home will encounter a major power outage within the next few years than at any time in the past. Worse, an extended outage has a higher chance of occurring during a period of extreme weather, such as a snowstorm or a heat wave. Losing power during one of these times is more than an inconvenience—it’s potentially life-threatening since you won’t be able to run your essential HVAC systems.

Power outages also threaten the lives of people who rely on powered medical equipment. If you have anyone in your house who relies on this kind of equipment, then getting a generator should be a simple decision. Whole-home generators do more than keep on the lights and stop food in your refrigerator and freezer from spoiling.

The Whole-House Generator vs. the Portable Generator

You have several options when it comes to generators. You might find the idea of purchasing a portable generator more appealing than the high expense of having technicians install a whole-house standby model. You can purchase portable generators at many hardware stores and home improvement stores. But are portable generators really a good choice?

The simple answer is no. Portable generators have some excellent uses: they’re great for camping and as an emergency backup system to keep in your car. But they won’t do the job when it comes to getting through an electrical blackout that lasts for several hours or longer. Here’s why:

• They generate toxic exhaust gases as they work, so you don’t want to use them inside your home. Unfortunately, to supply any power to your house, you’ll need the generator inside it. This creates a major safety risk.
• Portable generators do not have the capacity to handle more than a few systems in your home. You can’t power the lights, the refrigerator, and the HVAC system at the same time.
• Portable generators also have limited fuel and will not be able to supply power to get you through a long power outage.
• It’s inconvenient to have to roll out a generator from storage and take the time to connect it to the parts of the home that you need to power.

For these reasons, we strongly urge that you rely on a whole-house generator. These units are permanent installations that can supply an entire home with sufficient electrical power for days—and do it safely and reliably. When it comes down to it, the best benefit of a whole-house generator is peace of mind.

How Do Standby Generators Work?

A standby or whole-house generator is a large electrical device that our electricians install outside your home. The generator operates on fuel (natural gas, propane, diesel) to create the electricity, which enters your home through the electrical panel the same way that electricity from the grid does. Your home’s electrical system won’t be able to tell the difference.

Here is a breakdown of how a standby generator works:

Connection to Your Home’s Electrical System

Standby generators are hardwired into your home’s electrical panel through a transfer switch. This switch separates your generator’s power from the grid, ensuring the generator doesn’t accidentally feed back electricity into utility lines, which could be dangerous to utility workers.

Fuel Source

Most standby generators run on natural gas, propane, or diesel. The fuel powers the engine, which drives the generator to produce electricity. Natural gas and propane are the models we recommend, as they connect directly to your home’s existing fuel line or tank for a continuous supply. Natural gas models will not run out of fuel as it is piped to your home from the municipal supply.

Automatic Activation

If you have an automatic standby generator, then when a power outage occurs, the transfer switch will detect the loss within seconds and signal the generator to automatically turn on. This not only prevents disruptions to important appliances in a home, it saves you the difficulty of going outside (often in terrible weather conditions) to manually start the generator.

Power Generation

The generator’s engine converts fuel into mechanical energy, which is then converted into electrical energy by the generator’s alternator. The amount of power the generator provides depends on its size, usually measured in kilowatts (kW). The larger the system, the more appliances and lights it can run.

Monitoring and Safety Features

Modern standby generators include monitoring systems that allow users to check fuel levels, maintenance needs, and system status via mobile apps or control panels. They also have built-in safeguards, such as overload protection, to avoid electrical damage.

Returning to Utility Power

For automatic standby generators, the transfer switch will detect when power from the grid is restored and then disconnect the generator. The generator shuts down automatically, and the power to your house will seamlessly switch back to the grid.

How Long Can a Generator Power My Home?

This depends on several factors: the generator’s size, the type of fuel it uses, and the power demand.

Fuel Type

Natural gas is the best fuel if you’re concerned about how long you’ll need the generator to run. Because you don’t have a fixed supply of natural gas, you can theoretically run the generator for as long as you want—only an interruption to the gas supply could cut the generator off.

If you don’t have a gas line and instead use propane, the limit for the generator is the size of the tank. A 500-gallon tank might run a generator for 7–10 days, depending on the power load. Diesel is usually for commercial generators. A 50-gallon diesel tank may run a generator for 1–3 days with a regular electrical load before the fuel runs out.

Generator Size

Your generator’s kilowatt output affects how long it can operate:

• Smaller generators (7–10 kW) can power essential circuits for the lights, refrigerator, and HVAC. They have extended run time because of their lower fuel consumption.
• Large generators (20–40 kW) can potentially run everything in your home. They will have a reduced runtime on a limited fuel supply like propane or diesel.

Power Load and Usage

This is a measure of how much electricity you draw from your generator. The larger the load, the quicker the unit will use up its fuel supply (if it has a limited fuel supply). A high load means running the most power-consuming appliances—the HVAC system, water heater, ovens. A lower load would mean only running lights, fans, or the refrigerator on its own. If you want to run a lower load, you can rotate the use of appliances and choose only the most essential systems.

What Size Home Generator Is Right For Me?

We’ve already looked at this a bit above, but it’s important to focus on the size of your new generator because it’s essential that you get a unit that meets your specific needs. You don’t want a generator that won’t power the appliances and systems you must have working, and you don’t want to pay too much for a generator that is too powerful for your home.

However, you don’t need to stress that you might get the incorrect size. If you work with Fulmer Heating & Cooling, our electricians will guide you through the process to determine the right kilowatt output for your whole-house generator.

House Size

One of the first considerations is the size of your home. This gives us a general ballpark estimate for the generator.

• Small Homes (1,000–2,000 sq. ft.): 7-12 kW
• Medium Homes (2,000–3,000 sq. ft.): 12-20 kW
• Large Homes (3,000+ sq. ft.): 20-50 kW

Your Power Needs

We’ll discuss with you how much of your house you want supplied with electricity in case of a power outage.

• Essential circuits only: Will power items like the refrigerator, lights, sump pump, Wi-Fi router, and heating system. This typically requires a 7–12 kW generator.
• Most household systems: Covers essentials plus kitchen appliances, HVAC, and water heater. This may require a 13–20 kW generator.
• Whole-house power: If you want to run everything in your home, including the central air conditioning, washing machine, and electric oven, you’ll need a 20–40+ kW generator.

Calculate Total Wattage Requirement

To find the right size generator, we’ll estimate your household’s power demand by listing the wattage of all appliances you intend to power. For example, a refrigerator has a wattage of 600 watts, a central AC of 3,500 watts, and lights and outlets of around 1,000 watts. The sum is your total power needs. We usually recommend a generator with 25–30% greater capacity than the total power needed so the generator can handle sudden power surges.

Generator Brands We Carry

At , we only work with the finest generator brands because we only want our customers to have the best to supply their homes with vital electricity. We install Generac, Kohler, and Hudson brand generators.

Generac

Generac is the most popular name in standby generators: 8 out of 10 homeowners use Generac for their backup power needs.

Kohler

Many of the most powerful and customizable generators in the market are manufactured by Kohler. Their generators have proven reliability and use commercial-grade engines.

Hudson

Hudson is a leader in innovative and cleaner backup power solutions.

Rely on Our Team for Your Backup Power Needs

The time to upgrade your home with a standby generator is now. There’s no better "insurance policy" for your home comfort and safety than having a permanent installation of a whole-house generator. The right generator will be ready to step in and power the essentials your family needs in case of a power outage.

Fulmer Heating & Cooling has an experienced team that will see you are matched with a generator model that will do the exact job you need from it. We’ll carefully assess your needs and work closely with you to determine the power level necessary for your new generator. We will then ensure a fast and accurate installation. Reach out to us today in Newberry, SC or elsewhere in the Columbia Area.