Connecticut outages are storm-driven, and storm outages run long. That is the argument for a standby generator. It is not an argument for the largest unit on the price list, which is what a lot of people end up buying because sizing conversations tend to get skipped.
Start with a circuit list, not a wattage number
Write down what genuinely has to run when the power is out for three days in February. For most households it looks like this: heating system and its circulator pumps, well pump or boiler, refrigerator and freezer, some lighting, internet and router, device charging, and one bathroom. That list is smaller and cheaper to back up than people expect.
Then write a second list of what you would like: central air conditioning, electric range, clothes dryer, hot tub, workshop. Every item on the second list is legitimate — but each one should be a decision you make with a price attached, not an assumption baked into the quote.
Essential circuits versus whole panel
| Approach | What it covers | Trade-off |
|---|---|---|
| Essential-circuits transfer switch | Selected circuits on a dedicated sub panel | Smaller, cheaper unit; you choose in advance |
| Whole-panel automatic transfer switch | Everything in the house | Larger unit, higher fuel use, higher cost |
| Whole panel + load management | Everything, with big loads shed automatically | Best of both; slightly more complex |
Load management is worth asking about. It lets a moderately sized generator back up the whole panel by automatically shedding large loads when demand spikes — so the air conditioning drops out for a moment when the well pump starts, rather than you sizing for both running simultaneously.
Starting loads are what catch people out
Motors draw several times their running current for the first moment. A well pump, a compressor and an air handler all do this. Size on running watts alone and the generator will stall the first time two motors happen to start together. Any competent sizing calculation accounts for the largest starting load on top of the running total.
Automatic or manual?
- Automatic transfer switch — senses the outage, starts the generator, transfers load, reverses when utility power returns. Nobody needs to be home. The right answer if the property is occupied full time, if anyone depends on powered medical equipment, or if you have a sump or well that cannot be left.
- Manual switch with inlet box — a fraction of the cost, needs a portable generator, fuel on hand and somebody physically present to start it. Genuinely fine for a second home or a low-risk situation, as long as you are honest about the fuel and the presence.
The generator unit, the pad and the gas line are often larger line items than the electrical work. Ask any quote to separate them so you can see what each part costs. Our generator installation page breaks it out.
The failure mode nobody plans for
Most standby generator failures in Connecticut happen because the unit sat for four years without a load test and then met an ice storm. Weekly self-exercise runs the engine; it does not prove the thing will carry your house. An annual check of battery, oil, filters and transfer switch contacts, with an actual load test, is what keeps a generator honest. Ask whoever installs yours what their annual service includes before you sign.
Fuel: natural gas, propane or diesel
Natural gas is the easiest option where a supply already reaches the property, because there is no tank to refill and no fuel to run out of during a multi-day outage. Propane is the common answer where there is no gas main, which covers a lot of rural Connecticut — it stores well and does not degrade, but you are limited by tank size and by whether a delivery truck can reach you during the weather that caused the outage in the first place.
Diesel appears mainly on larger commercial installations. For a house, the practical decision is usually made for you by what is already at the property. What is worth deciding deliberately is tank sizing on propane: a tank that runs three days is a different proposition from one that runs seven, and Connecticut ice storms have a history of the longer number.
Where the generator physically sits
- Manufacturer clearance requirements from the building, windows and openings — these are not negotiable and they drive the location more than aesthetics do
- Exhaust direction well away from windows, doors and any air intake
- Distance from the transfer switch and panel, since a long run adds cost
- Noise: your neighbours will hear the weekly exercise run, so think about which boundary it faces
- Flood risk and snow drift — a unit that ends up under three feet of snow is not available when you need it
- Access for annual service without moving fencing or landscaping
Living with it
A standby generator exercises itself on a schedule, usually weekly, for a few minutes. That run proves the engine starts; it does not prove the machine will carry your house. The things that actually fail are batteries, which die quietly in cold weather, and transfer switch contacts, which pit over time.
So the annual service is the part that matters: battery load test, oil and filter change, spark plugs, air filter, coolant on liquid-cooled units, transfer switch inspection, and a real load test with the utility supply disconnected. Ask what is included before you sign a service agreement — some cover only the engine and never touch the transfer switch, which is the component you are actually relying on.