# Dealer Generator Quote - is this reasonable?



## nycatl08 (Sep 17, 2013)

All - I am helping a relative who is in the process of purchasing a Kohler generator. Just for some background, this person owns a 2,200 sq. ft house (on a slab + 2 car garage) in the Deep South (think GA, AL, etc) and is looking for a generator that can essentially allow them to operate at “business as usual” capacity in the event of an outage, brownout, etc. (Essentially, they want to be able to run a normal set of electrical equipment – furnace, AC, refrigerator, etc. along with lights with some power left to spare; just to add, they have upstairs/downstairs AC/heating units). My relative got an estimate from a local dealer rep – which I’m including below. 

1) Is it conventional to calculate the power needs of the AC / furnace together - are they really additive like this quote suggests? 

I’m not an expert – by any means – but right off the bat, it strikes me as somewhat aggressive in terms of calculating power needs (not to mention a calculation error in determining the power needs for the lower power generator). 

2) Also, both of these models retail for significantly less than what this quote suggests - what factors would drive those costs up to those levels? 

Any help would be greatly appreciated. More than happy to answer any follow-ups. 

Thanks much. 



> The 30RESA (125 amps) will be enough to power both upstairs and downstairs AC/Furnace.
> Your furnaces combined = 30 amps
> Your AC combined = 45 amps
> That’s a total of 75 amps.
> ...


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## aandpdan (Oct 8, 2012)

Ideally, your relative would do a load calculation to determine what they actually need. Trying to pull numbers "out of the air" isn't the best option. 

Is this a heat pump with electric backup? If so yes, you'd need both the a/c and furnace.

Don't go by circuit breaker ratings, you need the actual current draw listed on the equipment.

We'd also need more information. Is it an electric furnace or gas/oil? How about hot water? Electric or gas/oil?

The NEC requires that an automatic transfer switch, if the generator can't handle the entire load of the house, have automatic load shedding. They may not quite be able to run "business as usual."

Both those generators are 3600 rpm. 1800 rpm would be much quieter.

The automatic transfer switch (with load shedding) and control wiring along with the installation of the fuel line, mounting pad, and all permits can be pricey. 

Get more quotes!


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