All standby generators require fuel to operate. Residential standby generator runs on either natural gas or liquid propane. For homes without propane or natural gas, we will either recommend a propane supplier, or coordinate with a fuel supplier of your choosing.
Natural Gas: For homes with natural gas, the generator will be piped to your natural gas meter. The gas meter to your home will need to support both the BTU rating of your natural gas appliances and the BTU rating of the generator. Your gas provider will be able to determine if your meter needs to be upgraded.
Propane: The size of the propane tanks required to run a standby generator is determined by the kilowatt rating of the generator and the amount of days it will run during an outage. If you have existing propane, you will need adequate fuel coverage for cover both the generator and the appliances running on propane. Most propane providers recommend tank sizes that will run a generator for at least a week. A general guide line to follow for propane tank sizing is as follows: selective house generators running essential circuits will require one or two 100 or 120 pounds tanks, and most full house generators will require at minimum two or three 100 or 120 pound tanks. Propane tanks are required to be placed at minimum 10 feet away from a standby generator.
