When the time comes to choose a generator, there are quite a number of possibilities for both the home owner and the business operator: so many, in fact, that it can be quite confusing to the uninitiated. What type of fuel do you prefer – diesel or petrol? Do you need a small “emergency” generator for use in the home, or one with plenty of power to act as a back up when the mains electricity is not working in your business? If you don’t have much of an understanding of how new portable generators work, you will find it difficult to choose.

How then, do you make a choice? Firstly, you should decide for what precise purpose you will need the generator, as this will assist you in determining the capacity. If you need a generator for around the home, it would not be a good idea to choose a heavy duty industrial generator, as it would supply more power than you require. Similarly, if you need to run machinery, a small generator will not be enough as it is likely to fail when you need it most.

Diesel and petrol generators operate in a similar way. Diesel electrical generators are quite often found in agricultural environments, on construction sites and in factories and warehouses: in fact, wherever you may need a portable and reliable source of energy. This can be due to the absence of mains power (as with construction sites) or the mains power is unreliable (agricultural areas and factories).

In determining your generator requirements, you need to select the most efficient model. The size of the diesel generator is determined by the output and speed given by the manufacturer: usually, a more powerful generator has a higher output and speed. Most generators range between an output of 5KVA (kilovolt-ampere units) and 2500KVA. The lower KVA generators can be used in the home, whereas the higher ones provide more than enough power for most industrial applications.

The model’s efficiency is the first step: however, it is also necessary to calculate the load you need to supply. To do this, you just have to calculate the power demand, whether this be for home or business use, during normal operating conditions. The degree of power that the generator is capable of providing will tell you whether it is adequate enough to meet the needs of your home or business: the amount of fuel the tank carries only determines how long the generator will operate between refueling.It is always a good idea to choose a generator that can provide a little more power than you really need, thus reducing the possibility of overloading.

Another factor you may have to consider is the noise level of the new diesel generators. Will you need to run the generator during the night in the home? If this is the case, it is a good idea to select a silent diesel generator as the decibel level of these is considerably much reduced when compared to than traditional diesel generators. It is also a good idea to choose a silent diesel generator with a large fuel tank, to guarantee that it runs overnight, thereby avoiding refueling in the middle of the night. The noise level is not such a critical aspect if it is used in an industrial situation, or in daylight hours.

If the generator is to be used only occasionally, it makes sense to purchase a good quality used generator, as this will save you a good deal of money.

Having a new diesel generator at hand for emergency situations, such as natural disasters or power outages, or perhaps those times when there is no mains electricity (camping is one such example) is an excellent idea. However, you should to do your research and carefully choose a generator that best suits your individual requirements.

Zaida Dalke

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