Are you planning to buy a new power generator for your home? It's important to take the time to research different companies and various models available in the market in order to choose the right home standby generator that is capable of meeting all the backup power needs for your home. Two companies that have made a name for themselves in this industry are Generac and Cummins. In this article, we will compare Generac vs Cummins and help you choose the best home generator for your unique needs.
Cummins Home Generators
Cummins is one of the most well-known names when it comes to home backup generators. The company is also well known for manufacturing a wide variety of products in addition to generators. The brand is widely known all around the world for its high-quality products. As a brand, Cummins is known for efficiency, durability, high quality and compact design but quality comes at a price and generators made by Cummins tend to be expensive.
Advantages of a Cummins Home Generator
Cummins is the company that is known for building diesel engine. It started in the year 1919. This is a company you can depend on when it comes to reliability, quality and customer service. For more than a hundred years, the engines made by the company have been relied upon by farmers, hospitals, first responders, truckers and much more.
Important Features of Cummins Home Generators
Cummins stand for reliability. All the generators made by the company are capable of operating in extreme cold weather. These generators will operate even when the temperature is 0 degrees F. If you currently live in an area where you experience temperatures below freezing point, you can invest in cold weather kits made by the company that allow these generators to operate in even colder temperatures. Simply put, you can rely on a Cummins Power generator to supply power reliably regardless of the temperature in your location.
Cummins has been constantly pushing the boundaries of design and this is the reason, you do not need to worry about safety or noise when it comes to Cummins generators. Due to their compact size and quite design, you can comfortably install these generators within 18 inches of your home. In other words, you do not need to place them much farther away from your home.
The power generators made by the company are technically some of the most advanced generators you can buy for residential use today. These generators feature exercise modes that can be set to run automatically at the time, date, and frequency of your choice. In the exercise mode, diagnostics are run in order to ensure that everything is working as it should. These gensets also come with a Crank only exercise mode. In this mode, the diagnostics run without the need to start the generator engine. This feature helps in enhancing the life of the generator and also keeps it quite.
Each power generator made by the company comes with an integrated intelligent load management system. Simply put, this technology ensures safety of your generator. It calculates the power required by your appliances. It then only power those appliances that can be successfully run by the generator. In other words, it will automatically switch off the appliances based on the amperage capacity of the generator which will enhance the lifespan of your gen-set. This technology allows you to save money as you can invest in a smaller generator. It will automatically turn the equipment on and off based on the demand of the household and in this manner, it will prevent overloading of the gen-set.
There is a Quite Connect series of generators made by Cummins, and these are much quieter as compared to other home standby generators available in the market. It comes equipped with sound insulated enclosures and you will experience maximum noise levels of up to 65 dB.
Generac Home Generators
Generac started its operations in 1959 and over the years, has established itself as one of the top-selling brands when it comes to home backup generators. The company specializes in making generators and have been making these powerful machines for more than 60 years. They make all kinds of generators including industrial, commercial, residential as well as portable generators. The generators made by the company are known to be excellent in quality. These tend to be more affordable as compared to other options available in the market. Also, they offer a wide variety in terms of features and models, and you will find something you want from one of their lines.
Advantages of Generac Home Generators
Total harmonic distortion is an important parameter you need to check when you are planning to buy a generator. The electronic appliances commonly used these days have sensitive electrical circuits that can get easily damaged when the power supplied by a gen-set has high total harmonic distortion. The gen-sets made by Generac are certified to have less than 5% total harmonic distortion. You can rest assured that all the appliances in your home will run smoothly and there won't be any overloading or overheating problem for your electronics and other appliances.
The generators made by the company come with a self-test mode that runs the generator slowly for the duration of the test which can be 5 or 12 minutes. This makes the generators quiet and also makes them more efficient.
These generators made by the company are powered by G-Force engine which is a pressure lubricated engine. In simple terms, it means these gensets are durable and reliable. Another advantage of Generac generators is that these require less routine maintenance as compared to other brands available in the market.
The company headquarters are in Wisconsin and they offer 24 x 7 x 365 customer service. The company has established itself as one of the leading names in the power generator industry, and their reliable and friendly customer service is one of the main reasons.
The Generac gensets come with powder coated finish which helps in reducing corrosion and keeps your generator protected. It helps in enhancing the lifespan of your generator even when you use it in adverse weather conditions.
The generators made by the company feature its own Evolution Controller which comes equipped with a multilingual LCD display. This LCD display allows you to monitor the battery levels as well as maintenance intervals.
Cost of Cummins and Generac Generators
In terms of cost, you are likely to pay more for a Cummins generator as compared to a Generac generator. For instance, a 13 kW home standby generator from Cummins will set you back by around $3,600 whereas a generator of the same size from Generac will cost around $3,200. Needless to say, the actual cost will depend on the size of your home as well as the power needed for appliances in your home. You also need to take installation costs into account and the installation costs will again depend on unique installation considerations, generator size as well as the local building codes.
The Need for a Home Generator
A home generator gives you peace of mind and is a smart investment for the homeowner. Also, consider the fact that it has the potential to increase the value of your home by up to 150%. When you have a power generator, you will have complete peace of mind and there is no need to worry about power outages during storms or other emergencies. Do not forget that a single power outage has the potential to cause thousands of dollars’ worth of loss in terms of spoiled food and burst pipes among other things. The biggest advantage of a standby home generator is that it powers on automatically whenever there is a power outage. You do not need to worry about anything as the generator will switch on even when you are not at home.
Different Types of Home Generators and How to Choose One
When you start looking for power generators for home use, you'll find that there are several options available in the market. In fact, it can be quite overwhelming for someone who doesn't know the first thing about power generators. Here is a quick guide on different types of power generators and how you should go about choosing one.
Portable Generators
One of the most basic types of home generators is a portable generator. It's an excellent choice when you want something to power lights and small appliances. It is typically capable of supplying power to around 8 to 10 circuits in the home. However, it is a type of generator which needs to be turned on manually every time you want it to run. In terms of fuel choices, these can be run on diesel fuel or gasoline, as per your requirements.
As far as the cost is concerned, you can buy one of these for anywhere from $400-$1,000 which makes them much cheaper as compared to standby generators. A portable generator is an excellent choice if you are unlikely to experience frequent power outages and you only want a backup power source for a short duration.
Even though these are quite handy and affordable, their biggest disadvantage is that you will need to refuel them manually whenever you need to switch them on. Also, you can't monitor them remotely and these need to be maintained manually at regular intervals. These won't automatically start supplying power to your home whenever there is an outage as you will need to turn these on manually. Also, you won't be able to power your whole home with the portable generator as these are capable of powering only a limited number of appliances.
Standby Generators
These are also known as whole home backup power generators. These are capable of supplying power to all the appliances in your home. Also, you do not need to switch them on manually whenever there is a power outage as these are hardwired into the home, and these switch on automatically as soon as there is an outage. You do not have to refuel manually and these are capable of supplying power to your home indefinitely.
In terms of maintenance, these need less maintenance as compared to portable generators and these also come with remote monitoring capabilities which means you can run diagnostics even when you are not at home. These can be powered by your natural gas line which means you won't need to refuel them which is the case with portable generators.
As far as the cost is concerned, you can expect to spend anywhere from $3,000-$10,000 on one of these generators. The cost will obviously depend on the number of appliances in your home and the size of your home. A standby generator as a whole home backup power is an excellent choice. While these can be costly, these make for an excellent investment as these are capable of enhancing the value of your home by up to 150%.