10 Best Whole House Generators: All is Up and Running

The DuroMax brand is known for creating high-quality generators, and actually manufacturing their own engines. The DuroMax XP12000EH is one of their best yet. This unit is a proven winner in every aspect, including overall value, reliability, cost per watt, and durability. If you are on the lookout for a portable whole house generator that you can use as a backup power supply, then this DuroMax XP120000EH is one unit that you can’t afford to overlook. For years, it has been a top-selling generator for several good reasons.

Nicknamed by several as “The Beast”, this DuroMax product is a 12,000-watt dual-fuel generator that can run on both gasoline and liquid propane. Users appreciate this dual-fuel feature because it allows flexibility, and also means a more reliable power source for prolonged power outages.

As a portable whole house generator, this unit holds enough power for running household appliances, while being more versatile and affordable than a standby generator. When running on gasoline, the engine of this unit is strong enough for 12,000w peak wattage, and 9,500 running power. Meanwhile on liquid propane, this unit offers 11,400w peak power, and 9025w continuous power.

What’s more, this machine is great for more than just running the essential electronics in a household. What this means is that this cart-model generator with solid-fill wheels is an ideal choice for a worksite generator, seeing as these wheels can cross any terrain. Its heavy-duty design boasts a protective casing in the form of a full-metal frame with fully isolated motor mounts.

This unit features an electric start and a manual recoil. It has a long run time of approximately 9 hours. This makes it a suitable choice for households that frequently experience longer power outages, probably due to extreme weather conditions. The fact that this hybrid generator can also run on propane makes its running costs more affordable than a conventional generator fueled by only gasoline.

Considering that this generator has an 18 horsepower 457cc engine that delivers at 3600 RPM, its 74 decibels noise rating is deemed acceptable. Plus, DuroMax installs an oversized muffler to enable better noise reduction. You’d enjoy the choice of outlets on this unit, which also makes it ideal for heavy-duty use, such as powering machinery.

Founded as far back as 1959, the Generac brand is well-recognized for its top-grade home standby generators. This generator comes out on top as one of their best whole house generators as it is robust and reliable.

It is designed to handle the power demands of a large household with a lot of running appliances, delivering an impressive 22,000 watts power output on liquid propane and 19,500 watts on natural gas. Even more impressive, this unit features a 200-amp smart transfer switch that enables the generator to start itself automatically as soon as it senses a power outage. When a power outage occurs, you will most likely not feel it as this generator will get everything turned on, including your AC, lights, fan, washing machine, and many more appliances.

The engine of this unit works alongside the True Power technology to deliver stable, top-quality power with less than 5% total harmonic distortion (THD). As such, this unit is ideal for powering sensitive electronics. But that’s not even all, despite its size, this unit is surprisingly one of the quietest units on the market. It can produce a noise rating as low as 67 dB, though this can increase as the generator works to its maximum power. Still, you can be sure that you won’t disturb your neighbors.

Thanks to the three removable sides of this unit, you can install it yourself, if you have enough skills. Plus, this Generac unit also boasts of attractive and flexible maintenance and service offers. It has an inbuilt mobile link application that allows users to monitor the operating status of the generator as well as its maintenance schedule from their smartphone. As is unique to the Generac brand, this unit features a multilingual LCD that you can use to closely monitor the battery to determine when the next routine maintenance is due.

You’d also appreciate that you can enjoy this unit for several years, thanks to its aluminum and RhinoCoat powder-coated enclosure that protects against harsh UV rays, extreme temperature fluctuations, and water damage.

Do you want a reliable home backup generator that will allow you to run the power appliances you need for safety and comfort in the event of a power outage? It would help if you considered the Briggs & Stratton 40346.

Designed by another top recognized brand in the industry, this 40346 generator is constructed to be a solid source of backup power in any circumstance. It is capable of delivering as much as 20,000 watts of power within seconds of a power cut. This can run most of the household appliances as well as two air conditioning units. This will really come in handy if you reside in an area that often loses power during the hottest months of the year.

What’s more, you’ll find a 200 Amp transfer switch in the generator package, which ensures a seamless switch to the generator’s power after an outage. Essentially, this switch will immediately sense when the grid power is down and will power up automatically. Once the grid power is back on, the transfer switch kicks in, the generator shuts down automatically, and your home stars running with the backup power. As a result, the unit allows you to rest assured, knowing that you can power your home in a blackout.

Even more impressive, this Briggs & Stratton model includes their trademark Symphony II Power Management System, which optimizes each of the 20,000 watts to the fullest. This system ensures that this unit can provide a safe amount of energy for both low-demand appliances and high-demand appliances simultaneously, without problems of overloading.

This 40346 unit can be fueled by natural gas or liquid propane. It is designed to operate quietly, allowing you to rest during an emergency without the fear of disrupting neighbors. Plus, it features an exhaust system that works pretty much the same way as car exhaust and allows for a more neighbor-friendly operation. This also means that you can install this generator as close as 18” from your home.

The A-iPower SUA12000E generator is a high-quality unit that provides power as and when you need it, and it comes at a budget-friendly price. Generators can be quite expensive, so we appreciate that this unit is an affordable generator with loads of power. Plus, its power can do more than run the appliances in a home; it can also power a business or a construction site during a power outage. It is a big generator that weighs 206 pounds. But fortunately for users, this iPower unit is mounted on a rigid steel frame with heavy-duty wheels that make it easy to move across any terrain.

This generator is designed to provide 12000 watts surge power for running electrical devices, which demand a higher power load for their initial start. Construction workers also benefit a lot from this starting wattage, as it means that the generator can adequately support power tools without tripping out now and then. With continuous usage, the running power of this unit is 9000 watts, powerful enough to run your home appliances after a power cut. It can simultaneously power up lights, refrigerators, air conditioners, pumps, TV, and fans.

You can easily connect this generator to the house using the outside house receptacle and the transfer switch. Thanks to the included 120/240 V RV outlet that can connect this generator to a camper if nessesary.

What is not to love about this 460cc generator, which features an electric start that removes the stress of yanking a recoil starter. But should the battery of the electric start fail, you can always use the recoil start as a backup. Even more delightful, the control panel of this unit is designed with users’ ease-of-use and safety in mind. It is safe in extreme weather conditions, and its four 120V outlets are come with a ground fault circuit interrupter (GFCI) to protect users from nasty shocks. Once the panel senses current flowing through a person or water, it shuts off electric power.

In the market of portable generators, this Generac GP15000E is about as powerful and reliable as it gets. But what do you expect from the Generac brand, which is well-versed in manufacturing reliable and well-made portable generators?

This unit weighs 390 pounds. Don’t panic! It is still portable because it comes with handles and large pneumatic handles that make it extra easy to push. When you consider its power delivery, you’ll find that this generator delivers a peak wattage as high as 22,500W and a running wattage of 15,000W. This is sufficient to power a large household without making any compromise whatsoever as to what electric equipment you can connect simultaneously. Even on construction sites, this power delivery will enable you to work with zero restrictions. If you want home backup power during a power cut, electricity for your work site, then you should consider this Generac unit.

It comes with a reliable 992cc OHVI engine that shuts off when the oil pressure becomes too low. When there is no load on the unit, there is a low idle setting that will significantly reduce fuel consumption and noise levels.

Another feature that continues to impress users about this engine is its moderate fuel consumption. It has a big 16-gallon tank, that delivers about 10 hours of run time at 50% load. If you’re running with 50% of this unit’s rated power output in your home, you can even expect to get as much as 12-14 hours run time, using all the equipment and appliances that you would usually use. The number of kilowatts per each gallon of gas is way better than the majority of the generators on the market. You can expect to get 4.75 to 5 kilowatt per gallon from this generator, regardless of the load or hours.

Even when you draw a substantial amount of power from this unit, you won’t experience any noteworthy voltage changes thanks to its large reserve capacity and automatic voltage regulator. Plus, the massive surge power capability combined with the below 5% THD means that the frequency and voltage of this unit will always be ideal for sensitive equipment. After falling in love with the features of this unit, you decide to take a look at the price, you’d be more excited. In light of its build quality and powerful wattage, the price of this unit is reasonable.

Do you have a small home? Or are you on a budget, and you only require a generator to run some appliances when there is a power cut? Then, you should consider this affordable unit from the Champion brand.

This Champion dual-fuel generator has a power rating of 12,500 watts on natural gas, and 14,000 watts on liquid propane. There are occasions where the stockpiled propane goes low during an extended outage. In such a scenario, you’d appreciate the extremely modest fuel consumption of this unit. It consumes only 116.5 cubic feet of gas per hour and 58 cubic feet of propane per hour at half load.

In line with its power rating, this 100294 Champion model comes with a transfer switch that can only power eight circuits. But, these circuits can receive 120 or 240 volts, and like any top-rated generator, this unit will automatically start when it detects a power failure. Even more interesting, this model has load shedding abilities to work around high-demand appliances and prevent overloading.

Though at 63.5 dB, this generator is a bit loud, this noise level is still reasonable for most residential areas. With this unit, the Champion brand goes beyond and surpasses most top-rated units by offering a fantastic 10-year warranty on this generator together with a free lifetime technical support.

The Kohler brand is known for manufacturing top quality products, and this Kohler 20RESCL is one of the best from the brand. When the power at home goes out, you want a generator that kicks into action immediately and delivers clean and safe electricity. All these are done by this top-rated Kohler unit.

This generator will automatically start working within ten seconds of a power failure, delivering up to 20,000 watts of power with less than 5% THD. So, you can safely connect your sensitive electronics at home to this power. Plus, it is designed with a 200-Amp automatic transfer switch, which can adequately manage the power load of your whole house. Impressive, right? But that is not even all. This generator has an air-cooling system, meaning that no water-cooling system is needed for installation. It also comes with an engine equipped to last even beyond the power outage. So, you can rest assured that in the event of an outage, you have a reliable backup power supply that can service all your power needs.

Besides this array of impressive features, you’ll love the build quality of this unit. It is constructed with durable top-quality components and has a corrosion-resistant enclosure. Thanks to this enclosure, this generator can handle even the harshest weather conditions. In fact, you can place this unit in a seaside environment, and this unique enclosure will protect it against severe sat air.
Even more interesting is that this generator is one of the quietest standby units on the market thanks to its dampening noise enclosure. So, you can use it in your home and relax without the fear of disturbing neighbors. Users also appreciate the easy-to-read-and-understand display that shows messages regarding the generator’s status.

The Cummins brand is popular for its powerful technology, including the Onan generators. If you need a generator that can power anything from a small business to large buildings to even a data center, you should consider this Cummins Onan Quiet Diesel unit.

This Cummins unit delivers as much as 10,000 watts power. It can run heavy-duty appliances, even up to three AC units. This power rating also ensures that you can keep your home or business running for an extended period, regardless of the weather situation outside. It comes with an enclosure that protects the interior components of this generator, and also ensures that this unit works as quietly as possible. You’d also find a muffler put in place to make this unit operate even quieter.

Another unique feature is a thru-flow cooling system, which guarantees that the engine of this unit won’t overheat even after working for a long time. With this unit, you never have to worry about voltage spikes damaging your generator or anything you have connected. This is thanks to the digital voltage regulation designed with this unit. Plus, this generator has a self-diagnostic capability, which enables you to quickly discover any issues with the generator and get it repaired immediately.

Westinghouse is another famous brand in the world of generators. The brand combined advanced technology with their years of experience to manufacture this mind-blowing generator.
The Westinghouse WGEN9500DF is a powerful and reliable open-frame dual-fuel portable generator designed with a 457cc 4-stroke 4-stroke OHV engine that produces a starting wattage of 12,500 watts and a rated wattage of 9500 watts when powered by gasoline. When propane-powered, this unit delivers 11200 starting watts, and 8500 rated watts. With this amount of power, you can run virtually all appliances in your home, including your air conditioner, refrigerator, sump pump, computer, etc.

This generator enables an output of 120V/240V, and it can be started with a simple electric starter (included battery), or the conventional pull-start mechanism. If the electric-start push-button method of this home generator does not impress you, then the remote start key fob surely will. With this remote key fob, you can start this unit from as far away as 109 yards.

Even more interesting, you will get 17.5 hours run time with just 6.6 gallons of fuel at 25% load. When using propane, you can expect to get 11 hours of run time on a 20 lbs. tank. Portability and transportation convenience are guaranteed with this unit thanks to the included folding handle and wheel kit.

As regards convenience, you’ll also love that the control panel of this unit boasts a meter that shows frequency, voltage, and lifetime hours. Combined with the inbuilt fuel gauge which enables you to easily determine the fuel level of this model, monitoring the activity and status of this Westinghouse generator won’t be any problem. What’s more, you can use this unit with utter peace of mind, knowing that there is a circuit breaker protection to prevent overload as well as an automatic low oil shut-off.

If you need a generator to power the non-sensitive electronics in your house or office during a power cut, you should consider this Westinghouse WGen9500DF unit.

Are you in need of a generator designed for home backup power and emergency use? Then it would help if you considered this APGG10000 generator. This unit delivers an impressive 8,000 rated power, and 10,000 watts surge power, ensuring that your family can enjoy the power and be safe during the next blackout. Think of virtually any appliance you need to utilize to get through the outage, and this unit can power it.

This EPA certified generator comes with an 8-gallon fuel tank capacity that allows for 11 hours long run time. In this run time, you can be sure to get clean and safe electricity. However, the engine produces 76 dB of noise during operation, so do not run it closer than 23 feet from the house.

If you live in a small or mid-sized home or you need a backup power choice for a construction site, this unit is a great choice. It comes with an extensive range of outlets that ensures that power tools and appliances can keep running after a power cut. Additionally, the model features an electric start, so you don’t have to worry about starting this unit.