Guide 27 · Generator
How Much Fuel a Home Standby Generator Burns per Hour
Fuel burn depends on the model, the fuel, and how hard the generator is working. Your only reliable number is the maker's fuel consumption chart for your exact model, read at the load your home will actually draw. Natural gas is usually listed in cubic feet per hour and propane in gallons per hour.
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The verdict
Buy a home standby generator whose published fuel chart lists consumption at partial and full load on the fuel you have, and confirm your gas meter or propane tank can supply the full-load figure for as long as your outages last.
See the store linkWhat we check
- Fuel chart at half and full load
- Ratings listed separately for natural gas and propane
- Gas meter and line capacity
- Usable propane tank capacity
- Exercise cycle fuel use
- Professional installation and warranty terms
Drawing of backup power equipment.
Store link Generator
Champion Power Equipment 100837 14kW Home Standby Generator System, 200-Amp aXis Automatic Transfer Switch
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Generator safety: carbon monoxide and backfeed
Carbon monoxide: never run a generator indoors, in a garage, basement or crawlspace, or near windows, doors or vents. Using a generator indoors can kill you in minutes. Use battery-powered carbon monoxide alarms in the home. CPSC Safety Alert 5123
Backfeed: never plug a generator into a wall outlet or a dryer outlet. That is extremely dangerous: it can energize utility lines and injure line workers and people in the home. Use a transfer switch or interlock installed by a licensed electrician. CPSC Safety Alert 5123 (PDF)
Why there is no single answer
A standby generator does not burn a fixed amount of fuel. It burns more as you ask it to power more. A unit running a fridge, a few lights, and a furnace fan uses far less per hour than the same unit running a central air conditioner and a well pump.
The fuel matters too. Many home standby units run on either natural gas or propane, and the maker usually publishes separate output ratings and separate consumption figures for each. Do not assume the propane number applies to natural gas or the other way around.
So the honest answer is: find your model's chart, then find your load, then read across.
How to read a fuel consumption chart
Look in the owner's manual or the spec sheet on the maker's site. Most charts show fuel use at several load levels, often a partial load and full load, for each fuel type.
Pick the row closest to what your home will really draw during an outage, not the maximum the generator can make. Most homes spend most outage hours well below full load, but plan your fuel supply around the full-load figure so you are never short.
- Confirm the chart matches your exact model number.
- Check the units: cubic feet per hour for natural gas, gallons per hour for propane.
- Note whether the figure is at half load, three-quarter load, or full load.
- Look for separate running and starting ratings, and separate ratings per fuel.
Estimating your own load
List what must run during an outage. Find each item's draw on its nameplate label, in the maker's spec page, or with a plug-in watt meter for things that plug into a wall outlet. Large hard-wired loads such as an air conditioner, well pump, or electric range should be read from their labels or confirmed by your electrician.
Add the running watts of everything that will run at once. Then note which items need extra power to start, since motors and compressors draw a surge when they kick on. Your electrician can do a load calculation for the whole house, which is the most accurate way to know where on the fuel chart you will sit.
Natural gas: check the supply, not just the generator
Natural gas never runs out the way a tank does, but your meter and gas line must deliver the generator's full-load demand while your furnace, water heater, and stove may also be running. An undersized meter or line can starve the generator and cut its output.
Ask your gas utility and a licensed plumber or gas fitter to confirm the meter size and pipe run before installation. Give them the full-load natural gas figure from the maker's chart, plus the ratings of your other gas appliances.
Propane: size the tank to your longest outage
With propane, run time is a simple division. For example, if your maker's chart shows 2 gallons per hour at the load you expect and your tank holds 200 usable gallons, you would get about 100 hours before refilling. Use your own chart figure and your own tank, not these sample numbers.
Propane tanks are not filled to their full capacity, so ask your supplier how many usable gallons yours actually holds. Also plan for cold weather, which can affect how well a tank delivers vapor, and for delivery delays after a big storm. Your supplier can advise on tank size for your generator.
- Get the usable gallons from your propane supplier.
- Divide by the gallons-per-hour figure at your load.
- Leave a margin for refill delays and cold snaps.
About the listing on this page
The Champion 100837 Home Standby Generator System is sold as a system with a 200-amp automatic transfer switch. Before you buy, pull its manual and spec sheet and check the fuel consumption chart for both natural gas and propane, the separate output ratings on each fuel, the exercise cycle schedule, and the warranty terms, including any registration or installation requirements.
Whether any generator and transfer switch suit your home is for a licensed electrician to decide, along with the gas connection by a qualified plumber or gas fitter. They check your panel, service size, wiring, gas supply, local code, and permits. Install the generator outdoors with the clearances the manual and local code require, away from windows, doors, and vents, because exhaust contains carbon monoxide. Never run any generator indoors or in a garage.
Sources
Recorded AI check: Oct 9, 2026. The sources below may include later additions. AI checks compare factual numbers and checkable claims with web sources; they do not verify every statement.
- 14 kW Whole House Home Standby Generator and 200A Switch with aXis Technology - 100837 - Champion Power Equipment
- Generator Fuel Consumption Chart: Propane, NG & Diesel
- How Much Fuel Does My Home Standby Generator Use?
- Diesel Generator Fuel Consumption Chart (GPH) | PGE
- How Much Gas Does a Generator Use? Fuel Consumption ...
- How Long Can a Generator Run on Propane? | Moyer Indoor Outdoor
Best inverter generator for a home outage compares units from the makers' numbers. Every guide in this class is in Portable generators.
How this guide was made
- Drafted and checked with AI. An AI model wrote the draft from the guide's topic. A second AI pass looked for factual numbers to check against web sources. This does not verify every statement. A draft that fails the check is held for review.
- Fact-checked by the HoldBackup editorial team. On , a person on the HoldBackup editorial team reviewed this guide against its sources. That is a review of the writing, not a test of any unit.
- General guidance only. No prices, rankings, or test results, because we have none to back them. Check any number against the maker's own spec sheet.
- No lab tests, and we say so. HoldBackup has not run any unit named here.
- The store link is not a pick for this guide. It goes to a unit in this product class that this guide does not review. Check it against the list above before you buy.
- Labelled store links. A store button goes straight to Amazon with HoldBackup's affiliate tag. HoldBackup counts the click. A live button carries a "paid link" label, and the disclosure sits above the first one on every guide.
Questions
Does a standby generator burn fuel when the power is on?
Most home standby units run a short exercise cycle on a schedule to stay ready, and that uses some fuel. Check the manual for how often and how long it runs, and whether you can adjust it, then factor that into your propane planning.
Is natural gas or propane cheaper to run a generator on?
It depends on local fuel prices and on your model's consumption figures for each fuel. Get your current rates from your gas utility and propane supplier, then compare them against the maker's chart at your expected load.
Why does my generator make less power on natural gas?
Many standby units list a lower output rating on natural gas than on propane. Check both ratings on the spec sheet and size your load to the rating for the fuel you will actually use.
Can I just use the generator's wattage to estimate fuel use?
No. The headline wattage tells you capacity, not burn rate. Use the maker's fuel consumption chart at your real load, and confirm separate running and starting ratings.
Where does the price button go?
Straight to Amazon. Amazon sets the price and availability, and both can change.
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