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Power Consumption Guide for Generator Selection

This information is offered as a general guide and is not intended to be precise or even authoritative. Please check the electrical power requirements of your particular equipment or appliance by reference to the manufacturers' User Instructions or as shown on the appliance itself.

If in doubt contact the appliance manufacturer for accurate information. You will then be able to select the right generator for the job.

Before deciding which generator you will need, it is essential to consider ALL the appliances you plan to operate simultaneously and then calculate the TOTAL current requirement at any one time. Most appliances have a rating plate stating the current consumption either in Watts (W) and the Power Factor, or in Voltamps (VA) and the Power Factor. If the Power Factor is not shown, then for motor driven appliances, such as drills and grinders, it is safe to assume it to be 0.8, and for heating and lighting equipment it can be taken as 1.0. Therefore:

To estimate the kVA required apply this formula:

Various types of appliances have very different power requirements, for example TV sets, cookers, hi-fi equipment, kettles and filament lamps have RESISTIVE LOADS which means that their starting and running current are virtually the same and as stated on the rating plate.

Fluorescent lamps, on average, require approximately 150% of their stated Wattage to start up.

Hand tools with 'universal type' motors need an extra 5% added to their stated power consumption. A 'universal type' motor has brushes running on a commutator, being the slotted segments on which the brushes run and normally visible through the ventilation slots.

Refrigerators, vacuum cleaners, freezers and central heating pumps usually have 'induction type' motors which do not have a commutator, although they may have brushes plus an external capacitor. This type of motor can have a starting current up to 500% of the normal running requirement, so the rating plate must be checked carefully. For example, if a refrigerator's stated power requirement is 200 Watts, the power requirement is approximately 1000 Watts, so the total power required to start the refrigerator is 1200 Watts.

Microwave ovens are often referred to by their COOKING POWER which, on average, is only 50% if their actual operating power consumption. On top of this, when switching on, the oven needs another 25% power as the capacitor is energised, hence a normal '600 Watt' oven in fact needs 1500 Watts to operate it.
Special low wattage versions of household appliances such as microwave ovens and kettles can often be obtained.

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