re: Stand-by Generator for home. Worth it?

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Bought one after Ida in 2021.

Have not had Hurricane since.

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go buy another one so we don't get any this year.

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Can you give me pros and cons of powerwalls vs generator?

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Absolutely.

The real question on storage vs generator is do you have the solar access to generate enough power to run the house off-grid. At the ranch i do and run a 40kW ground mount with 4 Powerwall 2s. In Houston i have shitty solar access so i run the generator with the battery. The battery in Houston is overkill honestly and i only did it because i got it for free. The VPP revenue is nice and i get about $100 a month bill credit for it but it wouldn't be a great ROI if i had to pay full price for it. If you can put a enough solar on top of the battery to run the house then you're in good shape though and thats an ideal setup.

Cost comparison?

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Cost comparison?

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Thats where is gets complicated.

Generator you're looking at about 15-20k installed and about $2-300/week to run it. If you're handy and do maintenance yourself factor in an annual service at about $50 and when its running you'll need to service every three-ish days.

Solar+storage you're looking at about $4-6/Wdc. So it depends on how big of a system you need but plan on 60-70k for good equipment and batteries. But for big houses i regularly see systems over 100k. Thats obviously a lot but you're getting a benefit from it every day along with the back up capability.

If you have good solar access the solar will money out because there's a financial return on it where as the generator just sits and only gets used when needed and consumes gas when it's running at a higher rate than if you were running on the grid.

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The truck is a hybrid, has a 7.2kw "Generator mode".

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ya i'm pretty sure you can run a decent window unit in the bedroom. well worth keeping one in attic, they aren't expensive.

I cannot imagine having a house without one. I didn't have one for years and spent many really cold nights and really hot days for extended period without power. Now that is a thing of the past and it's glorious.

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Worth it?

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Financially, no. It's extremely expensive, even if you DIY the installation, for something that you'll use almost never. You can have a plug installed for a portable and be set up to run everything except central air for a couple thousand dollars.

Comfort wise? I guess that depends on how much you value uninterrupted comfort and convenience. Only you can answer that. They do what they say they do.

Yes, having the “luxury” of not having to drag a portable generator out and all of the cords laying on the ground is great. Realistically your generator will only be used for an extended time a couple of times a year. The unseen value is when you sell your home & it has a standby generator. It is one of those things that people will pay extra for.

Yes. Last long term outage I couldn’t find gasoline for my portable and when I did, was limited to how much I could get. Now I have a 26kW that runs the entire 2900 sqft house.

Just like anything else, you have to keep up with the maintenance.