Yes, the output to run everything in our house was calculated and that's the basis for the bids. Honestly I haven't looked at the bid sheet very closely so I'll do that tomorrow. This company today is the second one to mention running the natural gas line up the side of the house and through the attic, then down the other side of the house. I'm surprised by this and not at all willing to have that done. I want the gas line excavated and run underground and under the driveway. This whole-house generator thing is getting annoying, so maybe we'll just head for the RV in the next power outage... it's already got a genny, two air conditioners, and a furnace.
Sounds like they're pricing themselves right out of the job. On an earlier page, I gave the numbers for my Cummins: it is a 13 kW and cost $7,800 installed. See how your quotes compare to that when you get a chance. FWIW, I live alone, but when my gen is running I don't hold back on anything. TV, router, electric water heater, well pump, lights, fridge, etc. all running as needed. It seems my 13 kW model would run a lot more than I need. I expect a generator salesman will suggest at least one size bigger than necessary. It's like the old quip: "Never ask a barber if you need a haircut."
Wow, those prices you quoted earlier seem very high for a gen that is probably one size bigger than mine. It must be because of the huge demand as John noted below. Is this just in the Texas area because of last winter?
What was it like running your gas line? Look at the task they quoted at her place...running it inside the house, through the attic and out the other side. I bet that's a big chunk of it.
They had to tap into the propane regulator outside (for my furnace) and run a line to the gen. But I can't imagine running a bunch of iron gas pipe would be a big expense; seems it would be minor compared to the gen itself, the transfer switch, and labor for the complete installation.
I'm sure it's a combination of things; they are riding the "supply and demand" wave right now. People are waking up and realizing that the power grid is truly fragile. That said, I'm not sure I will spend upwards of $20k for a generator; I don't believe it's worth that to us. We may price other options like a new portable unit or something, just to run a few necessary things during an outage... or we may forget the whole thing. And of course, the salesman offered "$1000 off!" if we'd sign the contract (and pay 25% down) yesterday.
Yeah, I wouldn't spend that much either. I would go portable (and almost did) as you are thinking. To make using a portable simpler, you can probably get an electrician for a few hundred bucks to install a switch to have the power go directly to the specific circuits you want in your service panel rather than screw around with extension cords.
That is what several of my neighbors did when we had our big 10-day outage. They ran extensions for their house refrigerator and freezer. If outages are infrequent, that might be the way to go until you sell the RV.
@Beth Gallagher Consider first just how many significant power outages have you experienced while living there? Odds are, not very many. Enough to warrant guarantee of "whole house power" during the next event? On the 5th. day without power while living in Missouri, I bought a 4.5KW generator and located it in the back yard, plugging it's output into a 240 volt outdoor outlet I had installed previously for my welder. I figgered I needed to get the fridge back up and running, as well as the freezer, the water well pump was also on the list, as well as a few inside lights. The water heater (electric) and kitchen stove were of secondary importance. I switched them on and off individually as needed, using the house's own circuit breakers. The fridge, freezer, and well pump remained powered-up, running as they needed. No transfer switch, no fuel lines to generator, just a jerry can full of gasoline. Set up not for the inexperienced or faint of heart, but it got us by for < $1,000. Frank
Our significant power outages have been in the aftermath of hurricanes or tropical storms, until last February when we had our first winter storm to knock out power. In 2008 we were without power for over 2 weeks after Hurricane Ike... what a miserable, hot, mosquito-laden hell that was in 100 degree heat at 98% humidity. At that time $20k would have sounded like a bargain. The problem with area-wide outages is that gas stations can't pump gas, so having a gasoline genny isn't such a plus. (We have a small Honda that will operate a few things.) Also, with several trees down across the road that is the main access in/out of our subdivision, we were pretty much trapped here for days.