What size generator for a ~1,500 sq ft home?

A typical small home running the appliances below during an outage needs a generator covering both the running load and the largest single motor surge.

Typical must-run appliances

Refrigerator700 W
Gas Furnace Blower Fan800 W
Sump Pump (1/3 HP)800 W
Wi-Fi Router / Modem20 W
LED Light Bulb10 W
LED TV (50")100 W
Box Fan100 W
Desktop Computer300 W

Total running

2,830 W

Peak (with surge)

4,380 W

Generators that fit this load

★ Best for RVs and travel trailers

Westinghouse iGen4500~$950

3,700 W run · 4,500 W start · Inverter · Gasoline

52 dBA · up to ~18 h at 25% load

Full specs & what it runs →Check price on Amazon (affiliate link) →

Champion 3800-Watt Dual Fuel (201393)~$550

3,800 W run · 4,750 W start · Open frame · Dual fuel (gas + propane)

68 dBA · ~14 h on gasoline at 50% load

Full specs & what it runs →Check price on Amazon (affiliate link) →

Honda EM5000SX~$2,799

4,500 W run · 5,000 W start · Open frame · Gasoline

63 dBA · up to ~10.5 h at 50% load

Full specs & what it runs →Check price on Amazon (affiliate link) →

Fine-tune this in the full calculator →