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Dear Willie,
Instead of having extension cords all over the house, like we did during the recent ice-storm outage, is there any way to hook up a household generator at the meter/box/pole so that the whole house would be energized?
Ervin Eastham

Hi Ervin,

Yes, generators are available in various sizes that are adequate to power an entire house.  But, two very important issues must be addressed with a whole-house generator.  Number one is safety: the generator must be equipped with a manual or automatic isolation switch.  This switch insures that no voltage is put back onto the power line; any voltage put back onto the utility power lines could severely injure or kill anybody working on the line during restoration efforts.

Second, the generator must be properly sized to allow for the proper operation of the household's electric equipment.  An under-sized generator would not power an entire house and could possibly cause voltage fluctuations that might damage any appliances and electric devices plugged into the household circuits.  An oversized generator, while providing stable voltage, would increase the cost of the entire switch package and generator by a significant amount.

Electric code allows for the installation of generators sized to power only certain circuits of a facility.  In other words, you can choose a smaller, less expensive generator that will power only your lights or only your heat and air unit, or even certain rooms of your house.  This is a less-expensive option, but the circuits you choose to energize must be physically separated, and only these circuits are to be attached to the generator and isolation switch.

No matter what generator you buy, this is not a "DIY" project!  Please use a licensed electrician to make this type of installation.