Standby generator statistics connect household backup ownership with electric interruptions, regional reliability, manufacturer sales, and environmental context. The available measures span U.S. household surveys, utility performance, company disclosures, and EPA guidance, so they describe different populations and should not be treated as one market-size estimate.
Key Standby Generator Statistics
The most useful figures establish the scale of ownership, outages, reliability, and generator-related business activity:
- In 2020, about 10% of U.S. households earning less than $30,000 reported having a backup generator.
- In 2020, about 21% of U.S. households earning at least $150,000 reported having a backup generator.
- The 2020 RECS represented 123.5 million occupied primary residences in the 50 states and District of Columbia.
- U.S. electricity customers experienced an average of 11 interruption hours per customer in 2024.
- Major events accounted for 80% of U.S. outage hours in the United States in 2024.
- Major-event interruptions averaged nearly 9 hours per average U.S. customer in 2024.
- Hurricane Helene left 5.9 million customers without power across 10 states in September 2024.
- U.S. any-method SAIDI including major events was 611.3 minutes per customer in 2024.
- U.S. any-method SAIFI including major events was 1.521 interruptions per customer in 2024.
- U.S. any-method CAIDI excluding major events was 120.8 minutes per interruption in 2024.
- Maine’s 2024 all-event SAIDI was 1,748.6 minutes per customer, compared with 274 minutes excluding major events.
- Generac residential-product net sales were $2.433 billion in 2024.
- Generac total net sales were $4.296 billion in 2024.
- Generac residential sales increased 18.0% from 2023 to 2024.
- Caterpillar Power Generation sales increased 22% from 2023 to 2024.
- Caterpillar Power Generation sales were $7.756 billion in 2024.
- EPA uses 500 hours as a default assumption for worst-case emergency-generator operation estimates.
- EPA reported approximately 1.5 billion metric tons of CO2 from 1,320 U.S. power-plant facilities in 2023.
Contents
- Household backup-generator ownership statistics
- U.S. power-interruption and outage statistics
- Electric reliability data behind standby-generator demand
- Generac residential and commercial generator sales
- Caterpillar power-generation industry statistics
- Standby-generator operating and emissions context
Household Backup-Generator Ownership Statistics
The 2020 Residential Energy Consumption Survey measured backup-generator ownership across U.S. households by income. These figures cover backup generators generally, not specifically permanently installed whole-home standby units.
| 2020 household income | Households reporting a backup generator | Population and measurement |
|---|---|---|
| Less than $30,000 | About 10% | U.S. households; approximate survey chart value |
| $30,000–$49,999 | About 11% | U.S. households; approximate survey chart value |
| $50,000–$74,999 | About 13% | U.S. households; approximate survey chart value |
| $75,000–$149,999 | About 17% | U.S. households; approximate survey chart value |
| At least $150,000 | About 21% | U.S. households; approximate survey chart value |
Source: 2020 Residential Energy Consumption Survey.
The survey represented 123.5 million occupied primary residences in the 50 states and District of Columbia. Its sampling frame covered 99.6% of eligible U.S. addresses, and the median item-imputation rate was 3.0%, both of which are survey-method details rather than generator-adoption measures.
Income-group percentages are approximate chart values from a self-administered survey. They are not sales counts, installed-system market share, or evidence that every reported backup generator can power an entire home.
U.S. Power-Interruption and Outage Statistics
EIA reported that U.S. electricity customers experienced an average of 11 hours of interruptions in 2024. Major events accounted for 80% of interruption hours, with major-event interruptions averaging nearly 9 hours per customer compared with a routine non-major-event level of about 2 hours per year.
Source: Hurricanes in 2024 led to the most hours without power in the United States in 10 years.
The event statistics show why annual averages can conceal concentrated disruption. Hurricane Beryl left 2.6 million Texas customers without power in July 2024, while Hurricane Helene left 5.9 million customers without power across 10 states in September 2024; at least 1.2 million of Helene’s affected customers were in South Carolina.
| Interruption measure | 2024 U.S. result | Scope |
|---|---|---|
| Average interruption hours | 11 hours per customer | U.S. electricity customers |
| Major-event share | 80% of interruption hours | U.S. electricity customers |
| Major-event average | Nearly 9 hours per customer | United States |
| Non-major-event level | About 2 hours per customer per year | United States, routine context |
These are distribution-system interruption measures and event counts, not counts of standby-generator owners or generator runtime. The major-event classification follows utility reporting practice.
Electric Reliability Data Behind Standby-Generator Demand
SAIDI measures average interruption duration in minutes per customer per year, SAIFI measures non-momentary interruptions per customer per year, and CAIDI measures restoration minutes per interruption. EIA’s 2024 national figures show how results change when major events are included.
| 2024 U.S. any-method metric | Including major events | Excluding major events |
|---|---|---|
| SAIDI | 611.3 minutes per customer | 126.0 minutes per customer |
| SAIFI | 1.521 interruptions per customer | 1.043 interruptions per customer |
| CAIDI | 401.9 minutes per interruption | 120.8 minutes per interruption |
Source: Table 11.1 Reliability Metrics of U.S. Distribution System.
For historical context, the 2014 U.S. any-method values including major events were 219 minutes of SAIDI, 1.220 interruptions of SAIFI, and 179.6 minutes of CAIDI. These comparisons should be read cautiously because reporting coverage and methods can change, and SAIDI is not standby-generator runtime.
Regional reliability varies sharply. In 2024, New England recorded all-event SAIDI of 419.6 minutes and no-major-event SAIDI of 112.3 minutes; its corresponding SAIFI values were 1.382 and 0.951, while CAIDI was 303.6 and 118 minutes.
Source: Table 11.3 Reliability Metrics Using Any Method of U.S. Distribution System by State, 2024 and 2023.
Connecticut’s 2024 all-event SAIDI was 153.6 minutes and its no-major-event SAIDI was 73.1 minutes. Connecticut’s SAIFI values were 0.876 and 0.644 interruptions per customer, and its CAIDI values were 175.5 and 113.4 minutes per interruption.
Maine’s all-event SAIDI reached 1,748.6 minutes, versus 274 minutes excluding major events. Maine’s SAIFI values were 3.636 and 2.139 interruptions per customer, while CAIDI was 480.9 and 128.1 minutes per interruption; major weather events materially affect the all-event value.
Generac Standby-Generator Industry Sales Statistics
Generac’s 2024 Form 10-K separates residential products from commercial-and-industrial products, providing a company-level view of generator-related demand. The categories include products beyond standby generators, and sales changes are not unit-growth figures.
| Generac product class | 2024 net sales | Change or share |
|---|---|---|
| Residential products | $2.433 billion | Up 18.0% from 2023; 56.6% of total sales |
| Commercial and industrial products | $1.389 billion | Down 7.0% from 2023 |
| Total company net sales | $4.296 billion | Up 6.8% from 2023 |
Source: Generac Holdings Inc. 2024 Form 10-K.
Residential products represented 51.3% of Generac’s total net sales in 2023 and 63.8% in 2022. The company’s gross margin was 38.8% in 2024 versus 33.9% in 2023, while net income attributable to the company was $316.3 million in 2024 versus $214.6 million in 2023.
These are audited public-company financial disclosures for product classes, not a census of the standby-generator market. They also combine sales across the company’s geographies and applications.
Caterpillar Power-Generation Industry Statistics
Caterpillar reported $7.756 billion in Power Generation sales in 2024, compared with $6.362 billion in 2023. The reported increase was $1.394 billion, or 22%, within the company’s Energy & Transportation segment.
Source: Caterpillar Inc. 2024 Form 10-K.
| Caterpillar measure | 2024 result | Comparison or scope |
|---|---|---|
| Power Generation sales | $7.756 billion | Energy & Transportation segment application sales |
| Power Generation sales | $6.362 billion in 2023 | Prior-year comparison |
| Reported dollar increase | $1.394 billion | 2024 versus 2023 |
| Energy & Transportation total sales | $28.854 billion | 2024 segment total |
Caterpillar’s Power Generation category includes large reciprocating engines, turbines, and services, so it is broader than household or permanently installed standby units. The segment total also includes oil and gas, industrial, and transportation applications; neither measure equals generator unit shipments or total standby-market revenue.
Standby-Generator Operating, Emissions, and Resilience Context
EPA guidance uses 500 hours as a default assumption for estimating emergency-generator operation under worst-case conditions. This is an estimating assumption, not an observed average runtime and not a universal legal operating limit.
Source: Clean Air Act Resources for Data Centers.
EPA’s Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program generally applies to facilities emitting more than 25,000 metric tons of CO2e per year. That threshold describes program reporting, not standby-generator emissions specifically.
The broader emissions context is substantial but should not be misidentified as generator-only data:
- EPA reported that 1,320 U.S. power-plant facilities emitted approximately 1.5 billion metric tons of CO2 in 2023.
- Petroleum and natural-gas systems emitted 322 million metric tons of greenhouse gases in the United States in 2023.
- The power sector represented 25% of overall domestic greenhouse-gas emissions in 2022.
These figures cover broad stationary-source, fuel-system, and power-sector populations. They provide context for the operating environment around backup power, but they do not quantify emissions from standby generators alone.