Repeated outages push rural homebuilder to weigh whole-home generator cost

For families building homes in rural, storm-prone areas, backup power can feel less like a luxury and more like a basic part of the plan. 

One Reddit post captured the dilemma many of these homebuilders face: either pay more upfront for automatic protection, or save money and rely on a portable generator.

Here's what to know

One homebuilder took to Reddit's r/Homebuilding community to ask whether a "Generac [is] worth it?"

The original poster said their future home is in a place where they've had "about 6 days of no power in the last 2 months," raising the stakes for any decision about comfort, food storage, and safety.

OP added that, "Obviously it comes with a high price tag, but we feel it would be well used and nice to have with kids and living so rural where we may be trapped in for days due to floods or trees down or snow," before asking, "Would you do a fully automated system or just a regular generator and pull it out when you need it?"

A fully automated standby system can provide convenience and peace of mind during an outage, but the upfront cost may be hard to justify. Meanwhile, a portable unit is typically less expensive, though it may be much less appealing when the weather is severe and the power is already out.

One commenter suggested planning for both options during construction, writing, "If you experience that many outages then I'd set up for both. Have [an] electrician wire a 50 amp inlet with interlock to your home and plumb an outlet for your natural gas or propane."

Another added, "My parents have been in the same house for almost 40 years. Never had a generator and we would lose power with every winter storm. Sometimes for days at a time. They got a whole home generator installed three years ago and haven't lost power since. It's great insurance."

More background

Power outages can become more than a minor inconvenience when severe weather hits repeatedly. For rural households, losing electricity can also mean losing refrigeration, access to well water, heating or cooling, internet service, and the ability to safely shelter in place.

Doing the electrical and fuel-prep work during construction can preserve flexibility and potentially reduce costs compared with adding those same pieces later.

That approach also keeps the decision from becoming an all-or-nothing choice. A homeowner can prepare the house for a portable generator now, then upgrade to a whole-home automatic system later if outages continue or the family needs a change.

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