What Size Commercial Generator Do I Need?
The Dallas-Fort Worth area is no stranger to power outages. Whether it’s springtime severe weather or a power grid failure, power outages are incredibly disruptive. That’s why, for many North Texas business owners, a backup
standby commercial generator is a must-have. Preparedness is key, and if you’re here, you’re already on the right track to protecting your business against unexpected outages in the future.
The most common question our Premier Generators of Texas team hears is, "What size commercial generator do I actually need?" Choosing the wrong size can lead to equipment damage or a system that fails when you need it most.
For years, we’ve been helping our DFW neighbors bolster their homes and businesses alike with the reliability of a backup generator. In this guide, we’ll walk you through the factors involved in professional installation and how to estimate your power requirements.
Understanding Your Electrical Load as a Commercial Business
The first step in sizing for a commercial generator is determining which systems are “mission critical.” For a homeowner, this might be the AC, refrigerator, and medical equipment. However, for a business, it includes IT servers and security alarms.
Power is measured in kilowatts (kW). To find your requirement, you must account for two types of power, which are:
- Running Watts: The steady power required to keep equipment operating.
- Starting Watts (Surge): The initial burst of energy required to start motors and compressors, often found in AC units and industrial refrigerators. These can require up to three times their running wattage just to kick on.
Tailoring Generator Sizing to Your Business Needs
Because every facility is different, a professional
commercial generator installation must account for various configurations to match your specific layout, like:
- Custom Business Series (22kW-80kW): These units are ideal for small- to medium-sized businesses wanting a balance of capacity and efficiency.
- Liquid-Cooled Systems: These provide high-capacity power for larger facilities, industrial warehouses, and data centers.
- Weather-Protective Enclosures: In Texas, your generator must withstand extreme heat and storms.
- Fuel Source Compatibility: You can configure systems to operate on natural gas or liquid propane, depending on what’s available at your site.
Commercial Generator Size Calculation Methods
Here are three primary ways a professional team assesses your needs during a commercial generator installation:
1. Historical Utility Data
By reviewing your utility bills from the past 12 months, you can identify your "Peak Demand." This number is the highest amount of power your building used at any single point.
A safe rule of thumb is to take that peak number and add a 10-15% reserve capacity to account for future growth and surge protection.
2. Square Footage Estimates
If you’re moving into a new space or don't have historical data, you can use industry-standard formulas, such as:
- For Retail Stores: 50 kW + 10 watts per square foot.
- For Offices and General Commercial Properties: 50 kW + 5 watts per square foot.
3. Real-Time Measurement
For high-precision sizing, an electrician uses a clamp-on ammeter to measure the actual current draw on your electrical service during peak operations. This approach ensures your commercial generator is perfectly calibrated to your specific machinery and load profile.
Single-Phase vs. Three-Phase Power for Generators
Most residential homes use single-phase power, but larger commercial facilities near Plano and Dallas typically run on three-phase power. It’s vital that your generator matches your building’s phase and voltage. Using the wrong configuration can result in inefficient power distribution or catastrophic failure of sensitive electronics.
This is where employing the help of a local team, like Premier Generators of Texas, experienced in standby generators, can make a real difference.
Power Your Business With a Commercial Standby Generator Near Dallas-Fort Worth, TX
Most business owners hope they’ll never need a commercial standby generator, but having one on hand can mean reduced lost sales and unexpected shutdowns. At Premier Generators of Texas, we’ve seen this firsthand, and we’re here to help make sure that this doesn’t happen to your business.
Our experienced, professional team of commercial standby generator installers is ready to work with your DFW business, no matter its size! If you aren’t sure what size generator you need, our team will help discuss the best fit for your business and budget. Contact us today or give us a call at (214) 945-2525 to get started.
Premier Generators of Texas is locally owned and operated, always proud to serve business owners across Dallas, Fort Worth, Collin County, McKinney, Plano, Tarrant County, and Denton County, TX.