• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
EnergyRates.ca

EnergyRates.ca

Compare and Find the Lowest Energy Rates

Get a free quote call1-855-635-9608
  • Alberta
    • Regional Energy Services
      • City of Calgary
      • City of Edmonton
      • Fort McMurray
      • Grande Prairie
      • Medicine Hat
      • Red Deer
      • Crowsnest Pass
      • Cardston
      • Fort Macleod
      • Ponoka
      • Fort Saskatchewan
      • Cold Lake
      • Canmore
    • Rates & Information
      • Site Catalog Tool
      • Alberta Carbon Tax and Rebates
      • Regulated Services
      • Rate of Last Resort (ROLR)
      • Alberta Energy Market Data
      • Utilities Consumer Advocate and UCA Helps
      • Cutting Your Farm’s Energy Costs
      • Breaking Down Your Alberta Electricity and Natural Gas Bills
      • Obtaining Financial Assistance
      • Default Rate Tariff (DRT)
      • Energy Disconnection and AUC Winter Reconnection Program
      • Electricity and Natural Gas Mediation
      • Electricity Services for Rental Properties
      • Who is my Energy Provider?
      • Micro-Generation in Alberta
      • Green Energy Credits
      • Alberta Energy Glossary
      • Understand Energy Bill Estimates and Meter Readings
      • How is The Pool Price for Electricity Determined in Alberta?
      • What is the AESO and How It Works
    • Electricity and Natural Gas Companies
      • AltaGas
      • ATCO Energy
      • Direct Energy
      • Encor by EPCOR
      • ENMAX Energy
      • Hudson Energy
      • Just Energy
      • Link Energy
      • Superior Energy
      • TransAlta
      • Spot Power
      • UTILITYnet
      • ACE Energy
      • Sponsor Energy
      • Burst Energy
      • Campus Energy
      • Ambit Energy
      • XOOM Energy
      • Peace Power
      • Ridge Utilities
      • Access Energy
      • Regional Energy
      • Olympus Energy
      • Acorn Energy
      • Astro Energy
      • PowerBill Electricity
      • Prairie Power
    • Regulated Rate Providers – Natural Gas and Electricity
      • AltaGas Utilities
      • City of Lethbridge Electric Utility
      • Direct Energy Regulated Services
      • ENMAX Power Corporation
      • EPCOR Energy Alberta GP Inc
    • Small Commercial Fixed Rate Providers
      • EasyMax
      • Encor by EPCOR
    • Wire Service Providers
      • AltaGas Utilities
      • ATCO Gas
      • City of Lethbridge Electric Utility
      • ENMAX Power Corporation
      • EPCOR Distribution & Transmission Inc
      • FortisAlberta
    • Energy Efficiency Programs in Alberta
      • Energy Saving Grants for Businesses in Alberta
      • How the Clean Energy Improvement Program (CEIP) Works in Alberta
  • BC
    • Regional Energy Services
      • Vancouver, BC Electricity Retailers and Natural Gas Providers
      • Surrey Electricity Providers and Natural Gas Services
      • Burnaby Electricity Providers and Natural Gas Services
      • Victoria, BC Electricity Retailers and Natural Gas Providers
    • Rates & Information
      • Breaking Down Your British Columbia Electricity & Natural Gas Bills
      • Explaining Your British Columbia Electricity & Natural Gas Rates
      • How to Read Your British Columbia Electricity & Natural Gas Meters
      • Why the British Columbia Energy Market is Regulated
      • How to Start, Transfer, or Change Your Electricity and Natural Gas Services in British Columbia
      • British Columbia Utilities Commission (BCUC) 
    • Residential Natural Gas Retailers
      • FortisBC & Tarasen Gas
      • Access Gas Services
      • Planet Energy British Columbia
      • Direct Energy British Columbia
      • Just Energy British Columbia
      • Summitt Energy British Columbia
    • Commercial Natural Gas Retailers
      • Access Gas Services
      • Bluestream Energy
      • AltaGas British Columbia
      • Direct Energy British Columbia
      • Just Energy British Columbia
      • Planet Energy British Columbia
      • Summitt Energy British Columbia
    • Regulated Energy Providers
      • BC Hydro
      • FortisBC & Tarasen Gas
    • Home Renovation and Appliance Rebates
  • Manitoba
    • Regional Energy Services
      • Winnipeg
      • Brandon
      • Steinbach
    • Rates & Information
      • Breaking Down Your Manitoba Electricity & Natural Gas Bills
      • Explaining Your Manitoba Electricity & Natural Gas Rates
      • How to Read Your Manitoba Electricity & Natural Gas Meters
      • How to Start, Transfer, or Change Your Electricity and Natural Gas Services in Manitoba
      • Why the Manitoba Electricity Market is Regulated
    • Residential Natural Gas Retailers
      • Just Energy
      • Planet Energy
    • Commercial Natural Gas Retailers
      • ECNG Energy
    • Regulated Energy Providers
      • Manitoba Hydro
    • Manitoba Energy Efficiency Programs
  • Ontario
    • Regional Energy Services
      • Ottawa
      • Mississauga
      • Toronto
      • Brampton
      • Hamilton
      • London
      • Markham
      • Kitchener
      • Windsor
      • Burlington
      • Sudbury
      • Oshawa
      • Barrie
      • Guelph
      • Oakville
    • Rates & Information
      • Why the Ontario Energy Market is Regulated
      • Explaining Your Ontario Electricity Rates
      • Explaining Your Ontario Natural Gas Rates
      • Breaking Down Your Ontario Electricity Bill
      • Breaking Down Your Ontario Natural Gas Bill
      • What is the Global Adjustment?
      • How to Set Up Your Utility Service When You Move in Ontario
      • Does Your Ontario Energy Provider Require a Security Deposit?
      • How to Renew Your Energy Contract
      • How to Start Natural Gas Service for the First Time
      • Canceling an Ontario Energy Contract
      • How to Read Your Ontario Gas Meter
      • Ontario Electricity Support Program (OESP)
      • Save On Energy
      • Green Energy in Ontario
      • Ontario’s Local Hydro Utilities or Local Distribution Companies (LDC)
      • Ontario Energy Efficiency Programs
    • Ontario Retail Electricity & Natural Gas Companies
      • Just Energy
      • MyRate Energy
      • Planet Energy
      • RiteRate Energy
      • Summitt Energy
    • Ontario Regulated Price Plan Providers
      • Hydro One
      • Enbridge Gas Distribution
      • Union Gas
  • Saskatchewan
    • Regional Energy Services
      • Saskatoon
      • Regina
      • Prince Albert
    • Rates & Information
      • Breaking Down Your Saskatchewan Electricity and Natural Gas Bill
      • Explaining Your Saskatchewan Electricity & Natural Gas Rates
      • How to Read Your Saskatchewan Electricity and Natural Gas Meters
      • How to Update Your Saskatchewan Energy Services
      • Why the Saskatchewan Electricity Market is Regulated
    • Residential Natural Gas Retailers
      • Future Now Energy
      • Just Energy
    • Commercial Natural Gas Retailers
      • Connect Energy
      • Hudson Energy
      • Peak Energy
    • Regulated Energy Providers
      • Saskatoon Light & Power
      • SaskEnergy
      • SaskPower
      • Swift Current Electricity Services
    • Commercial Energy Efficiency Programs
  • Québec
    • Regional Energy Services
      • Montréal
      • Québec City
      • Sherbrooke
      • Gatineau
      • Laval
      • Coaticook
      • Westmount
      • Lévis
      • Saguenay
      • Baie-Comeau
      • Longueuil
      • Trois-Rivières
      • Magog
      • Alma
      • Saint-Jean-Baptiste
      • Joliette
      • Amos
    • Rates & Information
      • Breaking Down Your Québec Electricity and Natural Gas Bills
      • Explaining Your Québec Electricity and Natural Gas Rates
      • How to Start, Transfer, or Change Your Electricity and Natural Gas Services in Québec
    • Residential Natural Gas Retailers
      • Just Energy
    • Commercial Natural Gas Retailers
      • Just Energy
      • Access Gas
      • Summit Energy
      • Hudson Energy
      • Active Energy
      • Direct Energy
      • Comsatec
    • Regulated Elecricity & Natural Gas Retailers
      • Énergir
      • Gazifère
      • Hydro-Québec 
    • Energy Efficiency Programs and Rebates in Québec
  • Plans/Products
    • Plans
      • Fixed Rate Plans
      • Floating Rate Plans
      • Regulated Rate Plans
      • Block Pricing Plans
      • Load Following Plans
    • Products
      • Residential Electricity and Natural Gas Plans
      • Small Business Electricity and Natural Gas Plans
      • Small Commercial Electricity and Natural Gas Plans
      • Large Commercial Electricity and Natural Gas Plans
      • Industrial Electricity and Natural Gas Plans
      • Farming Electricity and Natural Gas Plans
    • Utility Bonds
  • Tips
    • Electricity Rates – Tips for Keeping Your Energy Costs Low
    • Natural Gas Rates – Tips for Lowering Your Bills
    • Energy Rates Blog
    • Energy Stats
    •  FAQ
    • Disclaimer
  • Content Hubs
    • Solar Energy
    • Electric Vehicles
    • Product Reviews
  • Renewable Energy
    • Green Energy Rates & Renewable Energy Solutions
    • RECs, Carbon Offsets & Green Building Certification
    • Carbon Accounting for Corporations: Scopes 1, 2, and 3
    • Virtual Power Purchase Agreements (VPPAs)
    • How to Market Corporate Sustainability Projects
  • EN

Home Batteries vs Generators: How to Choose Between Them in Canada 

Looking for cheaper electricity or natural gas? Find a better rate with Canada’s top energy comparison site.

Find a cheaper energy rate

1

Having backup power in your home can be crucial when it comes to being prepared for severe weather, unexpected provider outages, or more – allowing you to carry on with your day/night without worrying about not having the power on, especially during the winter months or summer when the power grid can get overwhelmed or severe weather can knock out power. It’s a peace of mind. What comes next is knowing and understanding what kind of backup power works for your home and needs down the line, as well as stats and graphs showing the differences. 

The days of only having fuel-powered standby generators available are becoming more in the past, as there are quieter, fume-free home battery backups in the market now for residential use that work well and can suit the needs of homeowners while also not burning a hole in wallets with having to worry about gas/propane, upkeep, and noise. Propane and natural gas generators have also come their way over the years as well, being more efficient. Our article below will go in-depth into the pros and cons of each, and how well they can suit your needs and home for when you need them most. 

Backup batteries vs generators 

Backup batteries vs generators is less of a debate, and more of which power backup suits your needs best and what will work for your home in the long run – and of course, what will fit and feasibly work and fit within your home area and set up. 

A broad general summary could be said that most backup batteries are good for shorter-term power outages and for smaller homes/condos/townhomes that are situated in the city or near a city where the power grid is typically more stable, and you would experience brownouts more than blackouts for extended periods. 

Generators would be more suited for living out of the city, in the country, in an area where having a loud and large natural gas or propane generator could better serve as backup power if the grid isn’t stable or if there are consistent power outages more often in your area, due to severe storms every year or harsher weather. 

That being said, it will continue to depend on many factors and also on what you consider most important and what will fit into your home/land outside of the home. A condo for example may not allow a large propane generator, but they may allow a solar or electric Tesla backup battery power installation. 

Standby Generators and costs 

Standby generators will of course be louder than other home batteries since it is typically a large fuel-sourced generator that takes a lot of moving parts to provide a lot of power for a longer range of time.

The power consumption of typical household appliances can help determine what size of generator you may need or want, concerning which essentials in your home you want to keep running when the power goes out. Standby generators come in a wide variety of sizes and prices, from $2,000 upwards to $20,000 and higher. Installation costs as well can widely vary and consulting a qualified installer in your area is the best way to determine what size generator you would need for your home (or business, if applicable) 

Learn more: How to Calculate the Energy Cost of Your Appliances

Generators are sized in kW/kilowatts, and as such for example – a 10kW generator can produce 10kW or 10,000 watts of power. A qualified generator installer can help determine the proper size after helping to calculate any and all anticipated electrical loads needed for backup power, and then some just in case. Generators can be connected to all of your home’s electrical circuits for full house coverage, or they can be opted in for ‘essential circuits’. A few common essential circuits that homeowners may want covered are: 

  • Garage doors or gate openers 
  • Electric ranges 
  • Kitchen receptacles, fridges, etc. 
  • Washing machines and dryers 
  • Fan blower motors for gas furnaces 
  • Water well pumps 
  • Security systems 
  • Essential light circuits around the home 
  • TV, WiFi, medical equipment 
  • Sump pumps 
  • Air conditioners 

Most of these take less power consumption than assumed to keep them operational, but the most important step is to determine all of these and how much they equal in total to ensure that your generator can handle the demand needed or else none of them may work, or it may only provide power to a few of the ones you want and not enough in the end. 

A popular generator for residential and smaller business use is the 20kW model, as they are air cooled as opposed to liquid cooled and only cost around $5,000. The Cummins series of quiet generator models includes a 200-Amp ATS (Automatic Transfer Switch) all for under $6,000. The ATS monitors utility power and automatically switches to generator power during a power outage while also preventing electrical currents from travelling in the wrong direction across utility lines during power outages, allowing for safe connections without having to worry about any other electrical issues that can crop up otherwise.

There are two types of transfer switches when it comes to generators, manual non-automatic switches and ATS, the automatic transfer switches. Portable generators will typically have a manual switch and standby generators more often than not will come with an automatic switch for additional safety and ease of use for everyone. The size of the ATS must match the size of the ‘load center’ it will be connected to. Using the 20kW as an example, these are connected to a 200-Amp load center, which therefore means that it would come with a 200-Amp ATS. If the generator you’re interested in will be connected to a main breaker panel, with a 100-Amp load center, you will need a 100-Amp ATS. Be sure to check the size of the main breaker on the load center/s installed in your home, and always be sure to ask and make sure from the generator installer that everything matches and makes sense for your home setup. 

If your home has multiple load centers and you wish to power the entire house,  you will still need an ATS for each load center. If it’s just for essentials, the installer can move those essential circuits to one of the load centers and relocate the non-essential circuits to other load centers not covered by the generator. 

Overall costs for generators 

Costs for generators, as mentioned earlier can vary wildly from a couple of thousand for a 10kW smaller generator, upwards to $20,000+ depending on your home, power needs, and installation process based on all of the above. The Cummins air-cooled generator we linked above before as an example is growing in popularity as it is quiet, and they have been recognized as a brand leader for quiet running generators while staying relatively affordable. 

Installation costs can vary widely depending on multiple factors. The lowest-cost installation can be obtained when the generator is positioned at or near the home’s gas meter. Installation costs will be higher the further distance away that the generator is from the gas meter, or if you have multiple meters that are on opposite sides of the house. When budgeting for a professionally installed standby generator for the home, it’s best to assume that installation costs will closely approximate the cost of the generator equipment – this isn’t always the case, but more often than not the rule of thumb is fairly accurate. If you spend $6,000 for the generator equipment, expect the total to be around $12, 000 just to be safe. If the generator is positioned away from meters, it can be expected to be higher. 

Project costs for liquid-cooled generators can often range well into the teens and 20,000 ranges for cost if it’s a larger area or larger generator. If your home exceeds 2,500 square feet, or is an all-electric home and you’re looking for a whole-home backup generator, liquid-cooled generators are typically the way to go compared to others as far as price vs value and worth. Of course, the best course of action is to always contact a professional that can give you much better estimates based on your own home and wants/needs. 

Noise 

Generators will vary in size and noise levels, depending on the make and type and how far away it is from your home. A generator placed nearby will be much more noticeable than one that may be placed a bit further out, especially if you’re in the country or outside of the city. This chart from Electric Generators lists common noises and where generators can typically sit. 

This said, there are now air-cooled generators that are marketed as ‘quiet running’ that will run far quieter than the traditional natural gas styles that are very noticeable regardless of where you are. The quietest generators will be of course any solar or battery-powered generators, which will fall under the battery-powered backups in the rest of the article here. They’re the quietest since there is of course no internal combustion engine, as a result of that, they’re relatively noiseless, and, at most, send out a humming noise. 

Generators with internal combustion designs, the quietest of those are inverter generators. Decibel tests show that regular generators can be as high as 76dB or higher, while the inverters are around 66 dB. They’re also great for campgrounds, for example, where there are noise limits, same with houses within cities. There are currently no industry standards regarding noise levels when it comes to generators and, because of this, manufacturers can test the noise levels under whatever conditions produce the most favourable results. Besides ratings, and decibels listed, sounds will also vary from person to person because of locations and how every individual hears and perceives sounds. What may be too loud to Person A may not even be an issue to Person B. 

Solar generators and electrical home batteries 

On the other end of the generator spectrum compared to gas-powered internal combustion, we have solar generators and electrical home battery generators. They vary of course between makes and models, but are typically much quieter and are more for smaller homes and for condos and townhomes within the city that cannot use large and loud generators that burn fuel, as there are noise limits and other regulations where it would be unsafe. 

This graph from ShopSolarKits shows a wonderful comparison of solar generators and their prices, from $1,000 and under, which makes them far more affordable as well to buy and get installed into your home.

This battery storage system chart also shows the differences between solar battery systems in 2024, including their outputs, types, backup power, AC surges, and more. It’s a comprehensive and easy-to-read chart that allows users to determine what is most important to them and what will work best in their homes. 

Primary Sidebar

Footer

EnmaxEpcorSponsor EnergyEncorDirect EnergyRite Rate
EasyMaxEncorSpot PowerHudson EnergySummitt EnergyEncor

Get Monthly Energy Insights!

Alberta fair competition statement:

Customers are free to purchase natural gas services or electricity services from a retailer of their choice. For a list of retailers, visit www.ucahelps.gov.ab.ca or call 310-4822 (toll free in Alberta).

review
  • Scholarship Information
  • Press Room
  • About Us
  • Contact
  • Terms and Conditions
  • Privacy Policy

Copyright © 2025 ENERGYRATES.CA

This website uses cookies and similar tracking technology for several purposes, including enhancing your experience when you visit our websites and personalizing ads/content available on our website. You can learn more about our use of these technologies in our Privacy Policy. By continuing to use this website, including clicking off or closing this banner, you consent to the use of these technologies by this website.AcceptPrivacy Policy