There are many great advantages of investing in a whole house generator for your home, whether you go for a portable generator or a fixed standby generator. However, you may be wondering about how investing in a whole house generator affects your home value. Let us explain!
How a whole house generator affects your home value depends on the type you purchase. A portable variant will not affect your home’s value. A fixed standby whole house generator, on the other hand, can boost the value of your property. On average, you’re looking at a 54% return on investment.
In this article, we’ll explain the many benefits of whole house generators. We’ll then take a closer look at one of the best advantages: how it affects your home’s value. There may even be financial benefits you weren’t aware of. Keep reading as we break down everything you need to know!
How a Whole House Generator Affects Your Home Value
There are many great advantages of having a whole house generator installed in your home. From the improved security to the sheer convenience these generators can provide, we explained these benefits in the previous section of this article.
However, one of the major advantages a whole house generator can offer you deserves its own section. That is, of course, how a whole house generator can impact the overall value of your home.
When it comes down to home renovations, it’s crucial that homeowners carefully choose which aspects of their homes to renovate. A homeowner must consider the return-on-investment (ROI) certain home improvement projects can offer them.
For example, replacing a garage door is a great way to improve your home’s appearance and functionality. Furthermore, you could recoup up to 94% of your investment when you replace your garage door.
When you add a deck to your house, you could recoup up to 66% of your investment – depending on the material you use to construct the deck. Now, you may be wondering how a whole house generator would compare to these homes mentioned above renovations and what ROI you can expect.
Well, let us take a look at the whole house generator cost. As discussed earlier, there are two types of whole home generators: the portable variety and the fixed standby generators. For a whole house generator, you’re looking at an average price range of $500 – $15,000. Let’s break that figure down even further!
| Generator Type | Price Range | Home Value Increase |
| Portable generator | $500-$1,000 | Little to no home value affect |
| Fixed standby generator | $1,000-$10,000+ | Up to 54% ROI |
If you’re looking to go the portable whole house generator route, you’re looking at a price range of $500 to $1000. However, this type of generator has little to no effect on your home value. However, it may have other benefits — we’ll get to those later in this article.
If you’re looking to get a fixed standby generator installed in your home, you’ll find great options between $1000 and $6000. This is based on the amount of power a generator requires to power the standard home. However, models can even go up to the $10,000 to $15,000 range.
From the above, it’s clear that a whole home generator is a sizable investment. So, now the question becomes: what’s the estimated ROI on a standby whole house generator? If you were to invest in a standby generator around the $10,000 mark, you’d be looking at an estimated 54% return on your investment.
While the return of investment may not be as high as, say, a garage door or a new deck, it will save you money in other ways. Don’t forget about those great advantages we detailed earlier! From preventing food wastage to ensuring you always have the power you need to go about your life, that estimated 46% you won’t make back will be worth it!
There are a few more ways that a whole house generator — portable or standby — could lead to financial benefits. Keep reading as we take a look at this!
The Renting and Reselling Benefits of a Whole House Generator
In this article, we outlined the many benefits of a whole house generator. We then looked at how a portable or standby whole house generator affects your property value. However, there are a few more ways that a whole house generator could benefit you, regardless of which type you decide to get!
First, a whole house generator has the potential of increasing your rental fee if you decide to rent out your property. While this benefit essentially extends to portable and standby whole house generators, there are a few considerations to consider!
With a standby whole house generator, the generator will typically turn on automatically when power is lost. Worst case, a switch will need to be flipped! After 24 hours to 48 hours of consecutive usage, you will need to service the standby generator or hire someone to do it for you.
Besides the necessary maintenance after usage, which you can easily arrange, standby generators are rather hassle-free. This means that the standby generators are also simple for rental guests to use. Furthermore, this can even be a great selling point to attract renters, especially with the increasing number of people who work remotely.
With a portable generator, renting could be a bit trickier in this regard. Ultimately, that comes down to the setup required by portable whole house generators. These generators may be on wheels, but moving them isn’t the hard part!
As discussed above, there is always the risk of carbon monoxide buildup when you place a portable generator inside or incorrectly installed outside. Even outdoors, one must be careful of where to place these portable generators and where their exhausts should face. This requires keeping not only your own property in mind but also considering neighboring properties.
If you were to rent out your home with a portable whole house generator, it might be difficult for a rental guest to do the required setup. You even run the risk of them damaging your investment. However, given the fact that it’s portable, you always have the option of taking the generator with you.
If you’re looking to sell your property, a standby whole house generator could be advantageous. Not only are you guaranteed a partial return on your investment in the generator, but the whole house generator itself could be a fantastic selling point.
A standby whole house generator could be the unique selling point your home’s listing needs in a competitive property market! This investment is a fantastic way to attract buyers. All you need to do is inform them about the many great advantages of a whole house generator!
When you factor these renting and reselling benefits into the many advantages discussed earlier in this article, one thing becomes clear. While the investment in a whole house generator may be costly, it’s an investment that is worth it!
The Advantages of Whole House Generators
There are many great advantages to investing in a whole house generator for your home. Keep reading as we break down the major benefits that these unique generators can provide homeowners with!
1. Whole House Generators Improve Safety and Security
There’s never a convenient time for a power outage to occur. However, it can often leave homeowners in a vulnerable position when the inevitable happens – and we’re not just talking about the risk of tripping in the dark. Often people aren’t aware of just how crucial a working power supply is until they’re sitting in the dark without it!
From powering needed medical equipment to powering electric fences and home alarm systems, there are many reasons people need uninterrupted access to power. Thus, when the power supply is interrupted, it can often leave homeowners feeling helpless. A whole house generator prevents this and improves your safety and security in the event of a power shortage.
2. Whole House Generators Can Be Safer
When it comes down to whole house generators, there are two main types: a portable whole house generator or a standby whole house generator. Generally, standby generators are considered the safer option.
You can typically move portable whole house generators using wheels. The placement of portable generators is crucial. You can’t use portable whole house generators within an enclosed space due to the risk of allowing carbon monoxide to build up. This can be a severe health hazard for whoever lives in the house.
Standby whole-home generators, on the other hand, are permanently installed in one place. When installing it, you must keep in mind specifics about your home. This means you don’t have to worry about hazardous factors like carbon monoxide. For this reason, standby whole house generators are the safer option.
3. Whole House Generators are Seamlessly Integrated
When the power trips and you have a standby whole house generator installed, you won’t need to reach for candles to light your power. When your power supply is interrupted, most whole-house generators will automatically begin supplying power to your home within seconds!
With portable generators, there is more setup required. From refueling the portable generator to placing it in a safe location and plugging in all of your necessary devices, it can be a rather tiring process to set up a generator. This is where the true convenience of a whole house generator comes in.
When you have a standby generator installed within your home, it will already be connected to your electrical system and appliances. You’ll also be able to customize which appliances your whole house generator powers. When that unexpected power outage occurs, you’ll be anything but unprepared!
4. Whole House Generators Enhance Efficiency
As discussed above, once you install a whole house generator, it will already be connected to your home’s electrical system. When dealing with something as unpredictable as a power outage, a standby generator can increase your overall efficiency in the long term by ensuring you always have access to your essential appliances.
Whether dinner was still a mere thought or you were already halfway through preparing it, a power outage will never interrupt you. Furthermore, food often goes to waste when the power goes out, and refrigerators and freezers aren’t powered. A standby generator completely prevents this!
When the power cuts out, the heating in a home turns off, and as a result, it can often result in frozen pipes. In turn, this can lead to further issues, like a flooded basement or the growth of mold and fungi. Essentially, a whole house generator keeps your home running efficiently no matter what.
5. Whole House Generators Can Prevent Damage to Electrical Equipment
We live in an increasingly digital society and rely on many devices in our day-to-day lives. It is a known fact that power outages can damage electrical equipment. Not only that, but the damage done can be lasting and often irreversible. When you equip your home with a generator and protection against unexpected power surges and outages, you can prevent this damage!
We live in an increasingly digital society. Often homeowners do not realize the sheer number of ways they utilize electricity in their day-to-day lives because it’s just there. Till it’s not, that is! Overall, power outages in the United States annually cost homeowners an estimated $150 billion. You don’t have to be part of that statistic when you invest in a whole house generator!
6. Whole House Generators Can Save You Money
Of course, a whole house generator can be a costly investment. However, in the long run, it can save you money. As discussed above, a generator can prevent food wastage, issues like frozen pipes, and damage to your equipment. In this way, a whole house generator can save you from wasting unnecessary money when the power goes off.
However, it can save money in another way! When you have a standby whole house generator installed, you could get a discount of up to 5% on your homeowners’ premium. Typically, this discount is only for standby generators and will not apply to portable generators.
If you decide to get a standby generator installed within your home, you should inquire about a possible discount on your premium. You should contact the provider of your homeowner’s insurance to find out about a potential discount for installing a whole house generator.
7. Whole House Generators Can Positively Affect Your Home Value
It’s no secret that a standby whole house generator will set you back more than a portable whole house generator. However, much like the possible discount on your homeowner’s insurance, there are specific ways that a standby generator can positively impact the value of your home.
In the next section of this article, we’ll take a closer look at how a whole house generator can impact the value of your home. From your property value to renting or selling a property with a standby generator, we’ll break down everything you need to know!
Conclusion
There are many great reasons to invest in a whole house generator for your property, from preventing unnecessary loss and damage to being a unique selling point. In fact, a fixed standby whole house generator can even increase your home value!
Based on statistics, you’re looking at an estimated 54% return on your investment in a whole house generator. The many other benefits of these unique systems, including renting and reselling benefits, will more than make up for the remainder of your investment in a whole house generator!