Product comparisons
Home Generators compared, with a verified Canadian price.
10 products verified · checked Oct 6, 2026
For a Canadian homeowner who's outgrown a flashlight and a candle, or whose portable power station from our backup-power comparison isn't enough to run a well pump and a furnace blower through a multi-day ice storm. The ten generators below split into three groups: inverter generators (2,000–4,500 W) quiet enough for a fridge, a furnace fan, or a sump pump; open-frame and dual-fuel generators (5,000–13,000 W) with the outlets and the output to run most of a panel through a transfer switch; and dealer-installed standby generators (14–24 kW) that start themselves within seconds and need no extension cord at all. Every unit is compared on running and peak watts, fuel type, run time, outlets, whether it carries a carbon monoxide auto-shutoff — the single feature most worth paying for — and a verified Canadian price, not marketing claims.
Inverter generators for a fridge, furnace fan or sump pump (2,000–4,500 W)
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| Product | Type | Watts | Outlets | Run time | CO shutoff | Warranty | Price | Our take |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
WEN 56225i Super Quiet 2250-Watt Portable Inverter Generator WEN | Gasoline inverter generator | 1,800W running / 2,250W surge | Two 120V 15A NEMA 5-20R, plus two 5V USB ports | Over 6 hours at half load on a 1-gallon tank | No — this listing states no carbon monoxide auto-shutoff sensor | Not stated on this Amazon.ca listing | An entry-level gasoline inverter generator quiet enough for a fridge or sump pump without waking the neighbours. More+ Quietest and lightest generator in this table at 53 dB and 22 kg, and the cheapest verified price – No CO shutoff sensor and pull-start only — the smallest safety margin and most physical effort of anything here | |
Westinghouse iGen4500DFc Super Quiet Dual Fuel Portable Inverter Generator Westinghouse | Dual-fuel inverter generator (gasoline/propane) | 3,700W running / 4,500W peak | One 120V 20A duplex (5-20R), one 120V 30A TT-30R (RV-ready), two USB | Up to 18 hours on gasoline in Economy Mode, on a 3.4-gallon tank | Yes — automatic low-oil and carbon monoxide (CO) shutdown built in | 3-year limited service, labour and parts, with lifetime technical support | A dual-fuel inverter with a real carbon monoxide auto-shutdown and remote start — enough headroom for a fridge, furnace fan, and a few lights together. More+ The only inverter in this table with both dual-fuel flexibility and a built-in CO auto-shutdown – Nearly double the price of the WEN above for roughly double the running watts | |
Champion 4000-Watt Dual Fuel RV Ready Portable Inverter Generator with CO Shield Champion Power Equipment | Dual-fuel inverter generator (gasoline/propane) | 3,000W running / 4,000W starting (gasoline); 2,700W running (propane) | One 120V 25A TT-30R, one 120V 20A duplex (5-20R), one 12V automotive outlet, parallel port | Up to 10 hours on gasoline / up to 25 hours on a 20-lb propane tank, both at 25% load | Yes — CO Shield carbon monoxide auto-shutoff system | 3-year limited warranty with free lifetime technical support | The lightest generator in this table with a working CO auto-shutoff, at a mid-table price with a genuine 3-year warranty. More+ Lightest dual-fuel generator in this table with CO Shield, and the longest propane runtime (25 hours) of anything here – No electric start — recoil only, despite costing almost as much as some electric-start units |
Prices and specs read directly from each merchant's Canadian product page on the date shown — never a guess. A product never appears here until we've verified it first-hand.
Open-frame and dual-fuel generators for a whole panel with a transfer switch (5,000–13,000 W)
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| Product | Type | Watts | Outlets | Run time | CO shutoff | Warranty | Price | Our take |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Westinghouse WGen9500DF Dual Fuel Home Backup Portable Generator Westinghouse | Open-frame dual-fuel generator (gasoline/propane) | 9,500W running / 12,500W peak (gasoline); 8,500W running / 11,200W peak (propane) | Two GFCI 120V 20A duplex (5-20R), one 30A transfer-switch-ready L14-30R, one 50A 14-50R, two USB | Up to 12 hours on a 6.6-gallon tank (load not separately stated) | No — this exact model has no CO sensor; Westinghouse sells a separate CO-sensor variant | 3-year limited service, labour and parts, with lifetime technical support | A whole-panel-sized dual-fuel generator with an "on-the-fly" fuel switch and a 50A outlet ready for a transfer switch. More+ Can switch from gasoline to propane while running, and the 50A outlet covers a full panel through a transfer switch – No CO shutoff sensor on this model — must run well away from the house regardless | |
Champion 9375/7500-Watt Dual Fuel Portable Generator with Electric Start and CO Shield Champion Power Equipment | Open-frame dual-fuel generator (gasoline/propane) | 7,500W running / 9,375W starting (gasoline); 6,750W running / 8,400W starting (propane) | Two GFCI 120V 20A duplex (5-20R), one 30A locking (L5-30R), one 120/240V 30A locking (L14-30R) | 10 hours on gasoline / 5.5 hours on propane, both at 50% load, on a 7.7-gallon tank | Yes — CO Shield carbon monoxide auto-shutoff system | 3-year limited warranty with free lifetime technical support | Electric start, a working CO Shield, and enough running watts for a sump pump and well pump together. More+ The only generator in this group with both electric start and a working CO Shield auto-shutoff – Loudest generator in this table at 74 dBA — a vacuum-cleaner level that must stay well away from windows | |
DuroMax XP13000EH Dual Fuel Generator DuroMax | Open-frame dual-fuel generator (gasoline/propane) | 10,500W running / 13,000W starting | One 120/240V 50A, one 120/240V 30A twist-lock, one 120V 30A twist-lock, two 120V 20A household | Not stated as a single figure on this listing | Not stated on this listing — no CO sensor feature is named | Not stated on this listing | The most running watts in this table, with a 50A outlet built for a central air conditioner on top of the usual essentials. More+ Most running watts of any generator in this table — the only one built with a 50A outlet for a central A/C unit – No CO shutoff sensor, no stated noise rating, and no stated warranty on this listing — confirm all three with DuroMax before buying | |
Firman 9,400 W / 7,500 W Tri-Fuel Generator with CO Shut Off Firman | Open-frame tri-fuel generator (gasoline/propane/natural gas) | 7,500W running / 9,400W peak | 120/240V capability; cover and short cord adapter included (individual receptacle count not stated on this listing) | Up to 12 hours at 50% load on an 8-gallon-equivalent tank | Yes — Carbon Monoxide Shut Off feature | Not stated on this Costco.ca listing | $1,099.99as of Oct 6, 2026 Costco.ca → | Runs on gasoline, propane, or a home's own natural gas line, with a verified CO shutoff and the lowest price per running watt in this table. More+ Tri-fuel: the only generator in this table that can also run on a home's piped natural gas, never needing a fuel can – The identical unit is sold on Amazon.ca at a steep markup — buy it at Costco.ca instead, where it's verified here at a fraction of the Amazon price |
Prices and specs read directly from each merchant's Canadian product page on the date shown — never a guess. A product never appears here until we've verified it first-hand.
Standby generators, dealer-installed with an automatic transfer switch (14–24 kW)
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| Product | Type | Watts | Outlets | Run time | CO shutoff | Warranty | Price | Our take |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Generac Guardian 22kW (7043) Home Standby Generator Generac | Standby generator (dealer-installed, permanently sited) | 22 kW on propane / 19.8 kW on natural gas | N/A — wired directly into the home's panel through the included 100A NEMA 3R automatic transfer switch | Continuous while piped gas or a propane tank supplies it — no portable fuel tank to refill | No CO sensor on the unit itself — standby units run permanently outdoors, so household CO detectors matter more than ever (see FAQ) | 5-year limited | $15,399.00as of Oct 6, 2026 TrueSource Generators → | The most power in this table by far, dealer-installed with its own 100A automatic transfer switch — the closest thing to never noticing an outage. More+ Most power in this table and the only one that starts itself automatically, with a 100A transfer switch included in the price – Needs a licensed electrician, a gas fitter, and an Ontario ESA permit to install — this price is the unit and switch only, never the installed cost |
Champion 14-kW aXis Home Standby Generator with 200-Amp Whole House Switch Champion Power Equipment | Standby generator (dealer-installed, permanently sited) | 14 kW (dual fuel: natural gas or propane) | N/A — wired into the home's 200A panel through the included aXis automatic transfer switch | Continuous while piped gas or a propane tank supplies it — no portable fuel tank to refill | No CO sensor on the unit itself — see the Generac row above for why that's normal on a permanently-outdoor standby unit | 10-year limited on the generator, 2-year limited on the transfer switch | $6,299.00as of Oct 6, 2026 Covalin Electrical Supply → | A dual-fuel standby unit with its own load-management app, priced well under the Generac above for a mid-size home. More+ 10-year generator warranty is the longest in this table, and its Power Line Carrier tech skips extra control wiring to cut install cost – Needs a licensed electrician and an Ontario ESA permit the same as every standby unit here — this price is the unit and switch only |
Kohler 20kW Residential Standby Generator with 200A Automatic Transfer Switch Kohler | Standby generator (dealer-installed, permanently sited) | 20 kW on propane / 18 kW on natural gas | N/A — wired into the home's panel through the included 200A outdoor-rated automatic transfer switch | Continuous while piped gas or a propane tank supplies it — no portable fuel tank to refill | No CO sensor on the unit itself — see the Generac row above for why that's normal on a permanently-outdoor standby unit | 7-year comprehensive | $7,399.99as of Oct 6, 2026 Costco.ca → | A corrosion-proof aluminum standby unit with remote monitoring, at the lowest standby price in this table. More+ Lowest standby price in this table with a 200A transfer switch already included, and the longest comprehensive warranty (7 years) of the three – Price shown is a time-limited Costco promotion ($600 off) — confirm the current price before counting on it; still needs a licensed electrician and an Ontario ESA permit to install |
Prices and specs read directly from each merchant's Canadian product page on the date shown — never a guess. A product never appears here until we've verified it first-hand.
Also on Amazon.ca
A few things most owners of the systems above end up buying anyway — verified on Amazon.ca's own page, same rules as the table.
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RVGUARD 30 Amp 25-Foot Generator Extension Cord (NEMA L14-30P/L14-30R)
Every generator in the whole-panel and standby groups above needs a cord like this (or a transfer switch's matching inlet) to actually reach the house — most don't ship with one.
First Alert CO605A Plug-In Carbon Monoxide Alarm with Battery Backup
A generator's own CO shutoff, where it has one, protects the area right around the unit, not the house — put one of these on every level regardless of which generator you buy.
STA-BIL Storage Fuel Stabilizer (236 mL)
A gasoline or dual-fuel generator that sits unused most of the year needs this in the tank before storage, or the gasoline gums up the carburetor by the next outage.
Reviewed by John Moelker
Founder, CompareLocal.ca · Oxford County, Ontario · Updated Oct 6, 2026 · How we choose
Near you: Woodstock, Stratford, St. Thomas — local water, utility and installer notes for power and outages.
How we chose
This category runs Amazon-first, same as the rest of this site: seven of the ten generators below link through Amazon.ca, where John earns a real commission once you buy (disclosed above every table). We open each product's own Amazon.ca or Canadian retailer page ourselves and read the price, wattage, and safety features off it before it appears here — see each row's source for the exact page and date. The three standby generators are the exception: none of Generac, Champion, or Kohler's standby units are sold on Amazon.ca at all, so those three link to Canadian dealers instead (TrueSource Generators, Covalin Electrical Supply, and Costco.ca), still opened and read first-hand the same day. A standby generator's price here is for the unit and its transfer switch only — in Ontario, installing one needs a licensed electrician, usually a gas fitter too, and an Electrical Safety Authority (ESA) permit, none of which is included in the number shown; budget for it separately. We are not electricians: we size generators by stated running and peak watts, not by doing a licensed load calculation for your specific panel, and anyone connecting a generator to a home's wiring, through a transfer switch or otherwise, needs a licensed electrician, full stop. Where a spec — noise, weight, warranty, or a CO shutoff feature — wasn't stated on the page we actually checked, the row says so plainly rather than guess.
Already comparing basic gas and battery backup options? See portable power stations and three basic gas generators we've already verified →
Worried about a sump pump failing the moment the power does? Compare sump pumps and their own battery backup systems with a verified Canadian price →
Adding a generator to a panel that already runs an EV charger or electric heat? See how much panel headroom a Level 2 EV charger needs →
Frequently asked questions
How many watts do I actually need to run a sump pump, a furnace, or a fridge during an outage?
Start from each appliance's running watts, then check its starting (surge) watts separately — a motor needs a short, much bigger surge to start than it does to keep running, and that surge is usually what trips an undersized generator. As rough, commonly published figures (confirm your own appliance's nameplate rather than trusting these as exact): a 1/3-hp sump pump runs around 800–1,050 W but can surge to 1,300–2,150 W on startup; a 1/2-hp well pump runs around 1,000 W with a 2,000–3,000 W surge; a furnace blower motor runs around 600–1,000 W with a similar surge; and a standard fridge runs around 100–400 W with a 600–1,200 W surge. Add up the running watts of everything you want on at once, then make sure the generator's peak/starting watts comfortably clears the single largest surge on top of that running total — that's why the inverter group above tops out around 4,500 W peak while the whole-panel group reaches 13,000 W.
What's the real difference between an inverter generator and a conventional (open-frame) one?
An inverter generator converts its engine's raw AC output to DC and back to a clean, stable AC sine wave electronically, which is why every inverter in our table above keeps total harmonic distortion under 3% — safe for a laptop, a modern furnace control board, or a sump pump's electronics. A conventional open-frame generator, like the Westinghouse WGen9500DF, Champion 9375/7500W, DuroMax, and Firman above, spins the engine at a fixed speed regardless of load, which is noisier and burns more fuel at light loads but is usually cheaper per running watt and tougher for continuous heavy use. Inverters also run an Eco/Economy mode that throttles the engine down when demand is low, which is most of why the inverter group above gets noticeably longer runtimes per gallon than the whole-panel group's bigger numbers suggest.
Do I need a transfer switch, and can I just plug a generator into a wall outlet instead?
Never plug a portable generator into a wall outlet or run an extension cord back into your house wiring — that's backfeeding, and it can send live current out through your neighbourhood's power lines, which has killed utility workers. The only safe way to connect a generator to your home's circuits is a transfer switch (manual or automatic) installed by a licensed electrician, which physically disconnects your house from the utility grid before the generator's power can reach any circuit. In Ontario, that installation needs an Electrical Safety Authority (ESA) permit on top of the electrician's work — the three standby units above include their transfer switch in the stated price, but none of the whole-panel generators do, and buying a cord (see our 30A pick in the consumables below) is only half the job; the inlet box and switch on the house side still need a licensed electrician.
How dangerous is carbon monoxide from a generator, and does a CO shutoff sensor actually solve it?
Very dangerous, and a CO shutoff sensor is a backup, not a solution. Every gasoline, propane, dual-fuel, or tri-fuel generator in this table produces carbon monoxide, a colourless, odourless gas that Health Canada and provincial fire services warn can reach lethal levels in an attached garage, carport, or basement within minutes, even with a door open or a window cracked. Run a generator only outdoors, at least 6 metres (20 feet) from every door, window, and vent, with the exhaust pointed away from the house. Of the ten generators above, five state a working CO auto-shutoff feature (Champion's CO Shield, Westinghouse's CO sensor on the iGen4500DFc, or Firman's CO Shut Off) that shuts the engine down if CO builds up around the unit itself — useful, but Champion's own listing says it plainly: "CO Shield is not a substitute for an indoor carbon monoxide alarm or for safe operation." Install battery-backed CO alarms on every level of your home regardless of which generator you buy — see our consumables pick below.
Should I store propane or gasoline for winter, and will any of these start in the cold?
Propane stores indefinitely without going stale, which is the real advantage behind every dual-fuel and tri-fuel unit in this table — gasoline left in a tank or a jerry can starts breaking down within a month or two, which is exactly what the fuel stabilizer in our consumables below is for if you're keeping gasoline on hand anyway. Store propane cylinders outdoors, upright, away from any ignition source and away from the house itself — never in a basement or attached garage. For cold starts, only the Westinghouse iGen4500DFc and both Champion inverter and whole-panel units above explicitly advertise a Cold Start Technology feature on their listings; the others don't state a cold-weather starting claim, so if your generator will sit outdoors through an Ontario winter, keep it fuelled with fresh gasoline (treated with a stabilizer) or propane, and test-start it before you actually need it during a storm.
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