Generac 18kW Guardian Standby Generator
Eighteen kilowatts. Most of the house feels normal.
Enough for most 2,000 to 2,500 square foot homes to feel like nothing happened: the essentials plus a second AC. The neighbors are sweating. You're not.
Financing through Synchrony and others. How that works →
Generac Prestige DealerGenerac's highest dealer designation. We sell, install and service Generac home standby generators.
Generac generators$2,000 off a generator install. While supplies last.
It only comes off the units on our floor, so when they're gone, it's gone. New air-cooled Generac installs come with a free 10-year warranty, and financing is there if you want it. Permit timing depends on your city or county. The install itself is usually one day.
What an 18kW runs. Most Houston homes: one big AC, or two with load management.
The 18 and 22 are the whole-home answer for a typical house with gas appliances. The 22 is the unit we install most.
- One central AC up to 5 tons, or two smaller units with load management
- Kitchen: fridge, freezer, microwave, gas or small electric range
- Every light and outlet in the house
- Washer, gas dryer, gas water heater
- Pool pump or well pump
- Garage doors, security system, medical equipment
These are typical loads for this size with gas appliances and Houston-size air conditioning. Your panel, your AC tonnage and what you want on during an outage decide it. Five taps on the calculator gets you a recommended size; the free sizing visit makes it exact.
For a normal-size house that wants to feel normal.
Two AC units, gas appliances, and you'd like most of the house on. That's an 18.
Two AC units, gas water heater and range.
Both ACs, kitchen, lights, Wi-Fi, garage, washer. Maybe not the dryer at the same time.
Senses the outage, starts itself, switches the house over. Hands it back when CenterPoint returns.
- Pick it if: two AC units and gas appliances, and "most of the house" is good enough.
- Step up if: electric water heater or dryer, a pool pump, or you want nothing to turn off, ever. That's the 22.
Not sure? Five taps on the calculator gets you a size, or call and we'll size it on the phone.
In plain English.
Generac's spec sheet has a lot of words on it. This is what they mean for you.
It turns itself on.
Power goes out, it senses it, starts, and switches the house over in about ten seconds. Power comes back, it hands the house back and shuts down. You don't touch anything.
It runs on the gas line you already have.
No refueling, no gas cans in the garage, no cords through a window. On propane, your supplier runs the tank to the generator and we do the rest.
It checks itself every week.
A few quiet minutes, once a week, so it's ready when it counts. Generac calls it Quiet-Test. You'll barely notice.
It texts your phone.
A cellular connection is built in, so it doesn't even need your home Wi-Fi to reach you. The Mobile Link app tells you when it ran, when it started during an outage, and when it needs service. We set it up at the walkthrough.
The case doesn't rust.
Aluminum, with a baked-on textured finish, rated for winds up to 150 mph. That matters more in Houston humidity and hurricane season than anywhere.
We match the switch to your panel.
The automatic transfer switch is the box that moves the house from CenterPoint to the generator and back. It's not in the generator box; we pick the right one for your panel at the free visit, and it's part of the install, not an extra.
Wired installs, around Houston.
Real photos of our installs around Houston and Tomball: the unit set on its pad, the transfer switch and gas line run, and the startup test before we leave. The unit in a photo may be a different size than this one.
For the people who want them.
Everything below is from Generac. Ask us if any of it needs explaining. That's what we're for.
| Power | 17kW on natural gas · 18kW on propaneNatural gas gives a little less than propane. Most Houston homes are on natural gas, so the first number is yours. |
|---|---|
| Electrical | 120/240 volts, single-phaseSingle-phase, like every house. |
| Fuel | Natural gas or propaneRuns on the gas line already at the house. No gas cans. |
| Model numbers we stock | G0072590 · 120/240 V single-phase |
| Transfer switch | Not in the box. We match a 200-amp whole-house automatic transfer switch to your panel as part of the install. |
| Engine | Generac G-Force 800, two cylinders, 817 cc, air-cooled. Built for the job: pressure-lubricated, with oil changes up to two years apart. |
| Case | Aluminum, Metro Gray, sound-attenuated, rated for winds up to 150 mph. Can sit as close as 18 inches to the house.Aluminum doesn't rust. That matters in Houston humidity. |
| Sound | 65 dB running · 55 dB during the weekly self-testMeasured 23 feet away. For reference, a central AC unit is in the same range. |
| Fuel use | Natural gas: 164 ft³/hr at half load, 235 ft³/hr at full. Propane: 1.65 gal/hr at half load, 2.87 gal/hr at full.How much gas it burns at half load and full load. Your gas bill goes up only while it's running. |
| Size | 46.4" long × 26.3" wide × 30.7" tall |
| Weight | 426 lb |
| Warranty | Generac 5-year limited warrantyNew air-cooled Generac installs also get Wired's free 10-year warranty. |
| Phone app | Mobile Link app. Cellular built in, plus Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. Remote diagnostics, so Generac and we can see a fault before you do. |
No price tag on the website. Here's why, and how to get your number.
The unit is only part of it. The gas run, the pad, the transfer switch, and your panel change the number from one house to the next, so a price on a web page would be wrong for most people. Getting the real one is quick.
Two minutes on the phone
Tell us the size of the house and what you want to keep running. We'll tell you if the 18 is the one and what an install like yours usually involves.
Call (713) 467-1125We come look, then quote it
We count your circuits, check the gas meter, and pick the spot. You get a written, itemized number. No allowances that turn into surprises.
Book the free visitMonthly, if you'd rather
Synchrony plans on generators and electrical work, and other lenders if Synchrony isn't the fit. We show you the options at the visit.
See the plansFree visit, permit, one day, lights back in ten seconds.
- Free sizing visit. We count your circuits, check your gas meter, and confirm the unit with you. No guessing.
- Permit. We pull it. About a week in Harris County.
- Install day. Pad, unit, gas line, transfer switch, startup. Usually one day.
- The transfer test. We throw the main with you standing there. Lights back in about ten seconds.
- Walkthrough. The app on your phone, the weekly test explained, our number on the unit.
Compare it with the others.
Air-cooled Generac Guardian units. Ten to twenty-eight kilowatts, the size range almost every house around here lands in.
Townhouse or a smaller home. Fridge, lights, Wi-Fi, one AC.
See this one →The starter. Fridge, lights, one AC, in a smaller home.
See this one →Most 2,000 to 2,500 sq ft homes. Essentials plus a second AC.
You're looking at this oneBest sellerThe one. Whole-home for a standard 2,500 to 3,500 sq ft house.
See this one →Whole-home with a bigger AC load or a pool pump.
See this one →Larger homes. 3,500 to 4,500 sq ft, two big ACs.
See this one →Big house, multiple ACs, EV charging. Don't want to think about it.
See this one →Ask about the 18kW.
Tell us about the house and we'll tell you if the 18 is the right one, what the install involves, and what the payment options look like. No pressure, and the visit is free.
(713) 467-1125 13910 Alice Road, Tomball, Texas 77377wired@wiredes.com · Open 24/7 · Showroom on Alice Road, come see the units
Rather see it first?
Some of these are on the showroom floor at 13910 Alice Road in Tomball. Come by, or call and we'll tell you what's out there right now.
Call (713) 467-1125