Natural gas or propane: what should your generator run on?

Every whole-home standby we install runs on one of two fuels: natural gas from the utility line, or propane (LP) from a tank on your property. People expect this to be a hard decision. It usually isn't — your address decides for you.

If you have a natural gas line

Use it. The fuel supply is effectively unlimited — no tank to fill, no level to watch, and the generator can run for days or weeks limited only by maintenance. Outages rarely take gas service down with them. This is the simplest ownership experience, which is why nearly every house with gas service goes this way.

If you don't — propane is a fine answer

Plenty of homes around here, especially rural ones, run propane. The trade-offs to know honestly:

• Storage is finite. A typical 250–500 gallon tank runs a home generator for several days depending on load. For long-outage peace of mind, size the tank generously and keep it above half during storm season.
• Slightly better output. Propane carries more energy per unit, so the same generator is often rated a bit higher on LP. A minor plus, not a reason to choose it.
• It stores forever. Unlike gasoline or diesel, propane doesn't go stale — the tank you filled two years ago is as good as the day it was topped.
• It adds a relationship. You'll have a propane supplier and a top-off habit. Not a burden, just a real part of ownership.

What about gasoline and diesel?

Those belong to portable and commercial units. For a home standby that must start itself unattended after months of sitting, fuel that doesn't degrade — pipeline gas or stored propane — is the whole point.