How to Choose the Best Generator

Sites, projects and events up and down the country rely on using the best generators in the UK to power all kinds of equipment and units. Alongside our modular buildings, Algeco provides turnkey solutions to ensure you have everything you need to get started, including some of the best generators in the UK, so you can rest assured we know our stuff.

Generator hire is the preferred choice for many construction professionals that require temporary, emergency and back-up power in a wide range of applications. Hiring generators is the best option for construction sites that are unable to connect to the local electricity supply, often because they are in a remote area or are not yet connected to the grid. In these situations, generators for hire provide a quick and easy way of getting the site up and running.

In this post, we’re going to share our tips on choosing a power generator and discuss some of the key factors you might need to keep in mind.

Choosing the Best Generator

Application

The first thing to consider is what you need the generator for. Whether it’s a large-scale event like a festival, a construction site that needs to power units and equipment, or a temporary building that requires consistent power, there are different types of generators to suit any need.

Each will have different requirements with regards to usage times, size and needs, so you should figure out what you’re going to need to power and for how long.

A standard generator is known as a canopy generator; this will include a small reserve fuel tank and typically be connected to a larger external fuel tank. When security is more of a factor, a containerised generator places the generator and a fuel tank inside a secure container.

Silenced generators

When you’re working in or near a local community, you might need to consider noise pollution standards. A silenced generator will put out significantly less noise than a standard generator, making it much easier to remain compliant. Most standard or canopy generators are silenced for this reason.

Wattage

To find the best generator for your site, it is critical that it is the right size. If it is too powerful, it will labour and operate inefficiently. Too small, and the generator won’t be able to meet your requirements.

It’s important to know and understand your power usage, including how it varies through the day, how it might be affected by the changing seasons and what your start-up power spikes might look like, as all of these will impact the size of generator you will need. When you hire generators for an Algeco site, we can discuss your power requirements (including what will be needed to power your site accommodation in our experience) to ensure you have a perfectly-sized power solution.

The power output of our generators starts at 20kVA, which is suitable for power tools. Higher powered generators, up to 1260 kVA available in our new hire offer, are capable of providing huge amounts of power and these are needed for situations that use heavy equipment or material handling assets. A popular choice for hire generators is around the 500kVA level because they provide plenty of power and are ideal for requirements on many construction sites, events, quarrying and mining operations.

Environmental Impact

Whilst diesel generators make up most of the market, new options are now available. These include, in our new suite of generators, two Hybrid Battery Storage Unit options from Green Power Hire and Power Saving Solutions (45kWh & 75kWh options). They offer reductions in emissions when in operation as well as helping customers reduce their fuel consumption.

It’s important to remain compliant with any local emissions laws. In some locations, typically London, local requirements will mean that low emissions generators are required (Stage 5 generators). These generators typically work in the same way as low-emission diesel vehicles, and they will also require the use of AdBlue.

Hybrid generator set

Hybrid generator sets use a combination of a generator and a battery. This means, for example, any equipment that needs to be powered overnight, like perimeter lights or security units, can run on the stored power in the battery. Not only does this save fuel, but batteries are a silent alternative.

However, these sets are not the best generator option for all types of site and, depending on your usage, may not be suitable.

Fuel

Once you have your wattage, you’ll need to choose how your generator will be powered. This, again, depends on your application. Our new range of generators come with advanced telemetry, taking away much of the hassle of monitoring fuel levels on site. Telemetry is simply the automatic recording and transmission of data from a remote asset – in this case, the generator on-site - to an IT system in a different location for monitoring and analysis. This allows customers to verify that they have a correctly-sized generator for their power requirements.

This feature on our new range of generators helps customers understand their fuel consumption and with it, overall value for money. Being able to view this data in real-time means fuel deliveries can be planned automatically without having to rely on manual checks on site.

Mineral Diesel

Mineral diesel is usually used for larger projects as better fuel efficiency can work out cheaper on a bigger scale. It often offers a good run time, but releases more emissions than petrol.

HVO Diesel

Many providers now offer Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil (HVO) as an alternative to diesel. Created through a two-stage hydroprocessing system, HVO can be made using different types of vegetable oil and offers up to 90% fewer emissions than diesel. Its chemical structure is very similar to that of mineral diesel, making it an ideal eco-friendly substitution in many uses.

When you hire temporary accommodation through Algeco, we can also provide the best generators in the UK to ensure your site runs smoothly. Our generators for hire offer power outputs from 20kva to 1260kva, so they have plenty of scope for use on construction sites, site accommodation rental, events, and a huge range of other industries.

All our generators are built for durability, meaning they can withstand the tough conditions on construction, quarrying and manufacturing sites, regardless of the time of year. They have long run times, which allows your teams to use them as an interrupted power supply throughout the day, or be confident that they will run for the duration that the site is vacated, such as overnight.