How much does it cost to run a generator?

   / How much does it cost to run a generator? #1  

JohnBoy45

Gold Member
Joined
Jul 19, 2003
Messages
251
Location
Tennessee
Tractor
Kubota L2800DT
Hi, I'm thinking about buying a diesel generator and what would it cost me a hour to run it for 12 hours. I'm running a 60 amp electric furance and 30 amp electric water heater and just a one or two lights. The furance would and water heat on all the time. My heating area is 600 sq. ft apartment. And what is the best diesel generator for a home owner?

Thanks, Terry
 
   / How much does it cost to run a generator? #2  
Could you maybe give a few more details on what all is invoved. There may be other alternatives that would be much cheaper.

Egon
 
   / How much does it cost to run a generator? #3  
From lots of running time here in Florida, I can tell you that a gasoline 5500 watt generator with a 10hp B&S engine will use about .5 gallon per hour at 60-80% load. I just bought my first tractor last week and was shocked at how little diesel it used in 5 hours. (about 1 gal per hour for 27HP at medium load).

Generators are not cheap to run. Doublecheck your true needs. Your requirements seem high. Don't go by the typical breaker rating in a house electrical panel. Check the amp/watt rating decal on the actual items to be run. You can alternate running some items to cut your total generator size.
 
   / How much does it cost to run a generator? #4  
If it burns 1/2 a gallon an hour it's gonna cost you 6 gallons of diesel every 12 hours. At $2.50 a gallon(optimistic right now) that's gonna be what? About $18.00 every 12 hours.

Fuel consumption is hard to pin down because of varying factors, like load on the generator, the size of the engine, etc...

You need to add up the power consumption of all the items that you want to run at the same time on the generator and then size your generator to that level + a little cushion for exta power consumption. Then you can start shopping for generators that meet your power requirements. Then you can determine what engine will be in it and start guestimating fuel consumption from there. One thing to remember is not all appliances have to be on at the same time, but they could be, so you need to size it by your needs.

For instance, we only have a 4000 watt generator. It will run the furnace and some lights or the freezer and some lights, or the refrigerator and some lights or the well and some lights, but it won't run the furnace, freezer, refrigerator, well and some lights at the same time. So in an emergency, we have to cycle the power on those major appliances manually in order to operate off of the small generator. But we still have a warm house, cold beer, fresh meat and a toilet that flushes! /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
 
   / How much does it cost to run a generator? #5  
If you are using 60 amp and 30 amps at 220 volts. You will need 19800 watts. Thats a large generator. by home owner standards. Here is a link to <font color="orange"> Kubota's </font> generators. Click Here In their specification the show fuel consumption at different loads.
Price for a 20 KW would be $9500 on up. Plus installation and transfer switch.
 
   / How much does it cost to run a generator? #6  
Ballpark pricing for capacity is about $100-120 per KW on the gasoline sizes smaller than 10,000W i.e. 5500w=$550-650 8000w=$800-1000
As you get bigger, the price per KW will drop. Transfer switches with 8-10 circuits will run $300-400 for the switch box itself plus installation. Unless you are 110% sure you know what you are doing, hire an electrician to hook up the transfer switch. Your "real" needs sound like a maximum of a 10-12KW unit and certainly not a 20KW unit.
 
   / How much does it cost to run a generator? #7  
</font><font color="blue" class="small">( But we still have a warm house, cold beer, fresh meat and a toilet that flushes! /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif )</font>

Very eloquent! Ever consider writing country and western music?
 
   / How much does it cost to run a generator? #8  
I believe the rule of thumb of generators is 1 gallon per hour per 10KW using gas. Diesel uses a little less. I had an old 50KW generator with a really small tank so we were filling that thing every three hours or so with 15 gallons to keep our poultry farm running. I replaced that generator after going through one long power outage.

You will probably need a generator in the 5500-10,000 watt range.

Eric
 
   / How much does it cost to run a generator? #9  
Eric's estimation, is really in line with what I've calculated too (although, I have a 2K gas one which is much thirstier).

I may be wrong, but don't think you have to worry about pipes freezing in your area.

Anyway, as others have mentioned(especially if this is back-up ony and maybe 1or 2 day maximum continuous) the two items you're concerned about are the easiest to cycle. In fact, I'd go with a 10K, kill the electric heat; keep a couple 1.5K space heaters around to warm up your toes occasionally. And cycle the water heater too if you have any other really large current draws. Else. if you go 15K, you might get the furnace and light to run fine if you cycle it with the water heater.

On a positive note, oversizing will cost you some fuel (the generator and engine, both might hit peak efficiency around say a 75% load), but not like a 2:1 difference unless grossly oversized.
 
   / How much does it cost to run a generator? #10  
<font color="blue">Ever consider writing country and western music? </font>

According to Daivd Allen Coe, the perfect country and western song has to mention "Mama, or trains, or trucks, or prison, or gettin' drunk", whereupon he sings the last verse:

Well, I was drunk the day my Mom got out of prison,
And I went to pick her up in the rain,
But before I could get to the station in my pickup truck,
She got runned over by a d****d old train.

(source: wikkipedia)
/forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
 
 
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