Does a Generator Increase Home Value?
Yes, by a little less than it costs. Remodeling's 2025 Cost vs. Value report puts a backup power generator project at a $13,534 job cost nationally and estimates it adds $12,902 to the sale price: 95.3% of the cost recouped. The return varies widely by region, from 69% to 139.1%.
JOB COST
$13,534
RESALE VALUE
$12,902
RECOUPED
95.3%
US national average. Cost vs. Value 2025, Remodeling / Zonda.
Cost and Resale Value by Region
The 2025 report prices the same generator project in each of the nine US Census divisions. Sorted by share of cost recouped.
AL, KY, MS, TN
Cost $11,629 / Value $16,174
AR, LA, OK, TX
Cost $12,915 / Value $13,473
CT, MA, ME, NH, RI, VT
Cost $14,292 / Value $14,688
DC, DE, FL, GA, MD, NC, SC, VA, WV
Cost $13,561 / Value $13,089
AK, CA, HI, OR, WA
Cost $14,637 / Value $14,107
IL, IN, MI, OH, WI
Cost $12,877 / Value $11,651
NJ, NY, PA
Cost $15,652 / Value $13,675
AZ, CO, ID, MT, NM, NV, UT, WY
Cost $12,481 / Value $9,628
IA, KS, MN, MO, ND, NE, SD
Cost $13,216 / Value $9,124
Cost $13,534 / Value $12,902
| Region | Job Cost | Resale Value | Recouped |
|---|---|---|---|
| East South CentralAL, KY, MS, TN | $11,629 | $16,174 | 139.1% |
| West South CentralAR, LA, OK, TX | $12,915 | $13,473 | 104.3% |
| New EnglandCT, MA, ME, NH, RI, VT | $14,292 | $14,688 | 102.8% |
| South AtlanticDC, DE, FL, GA, MD, NC, SC, VA, WV | $13,561 | $13,089 | 96.5% |
| PacificAK, CA, HI, OR, WA | $14,637 | $14,107 | 96.4% |
| East North CentralIL, IN, MI, OH, WI | $12,877 | $11,651 | 90.5% |
| Middle AtlanticNJ, NY, PA | $15,652 | $13,675 | 87.4% |
| MountainAZ, CO, ID, MT, NM, NV, UT, WY | $12,481 | $9,628 | 77.1% |
| West North CentralIA, KS, MN, MO, ND, NE, SD | $13,216 | $9,124 | 69% |
| US national | $13,534 | $12,902 | 95.3% |
Source: Remodeling Cost vs. Value 2025, regional pages at jlconline.com (for example East South Central), read 3 November 2026.
What the Cost vs. Value Project Includes
The report prices one defined job: a modular backup system supplying 70 amps of emergency power across two 240-volt and six 120-volt circuits, on an existing propane supply. It includes the generator on a 2 by 4 foot concrete or composite pad, an automatic transfer switch, a load center, an exterior disconnect, a grounding rod, 30 feet of conduit and cable, 5 feet of flexible fuel line and a battery (project description).
That is an essential-circuits install. A whole-house system sized to run central air is a larger unit with a 200 amp service-rated transfer switch (see sizing), so its cost and its resale value can both sit away from these figures. A new propane tank or a long gas run is not in the priced scope either.
How the numbers are made. The job cost is an estimate built from BLS and BEA price indices and installer wage data, localised with Verisk's XactRemodel cost data. The resale value comes from an online survey of more than 6,000 real estate agents, run by Zonda with the National Association of Realtors' RPR, who were shown the project and asked what it adds to a home's sale price (2025 methodology). It is agents' judgement, not a study of closed sales.
The 2025 result is much higher than earlier editions. The project last appeared in the 2017 report, at a $12,860 job cost and $6,940 of resale value, 54% recouped (report history). The 2025 edition also changed how costs are estimated, so treat the jump as partly a change in method.
The Other Half of the Return: Outages
Resale value is only part of the case. What a generator saves you depends on how often your power goes out, for how long, and what fails when it does, so it is specific to your house rather than something a national figure can tell you.
Food. A refrigerator keeps food safe for up to 4 hours without power. A full freezer holds a safe temperature for about 48 hours, or 24 hours if it is half full, with the door kept shut (FoodSafety.gov, citing USDA).
Water and heat. A well pump, a sump pump and a furnace blower all stop in an outage. In a winter storm that is the difference between an inconvenience and frozen pipes or a flooded basement, which is where a standby unit earns its keep.
Medical equipment. CPAP machines, oxygen concentrators and refrigerated medications make backup power a safety question, not a home-improvement one.
Insurance. Some insurers discount premiums for a permanently installed standby generator. Terms vary by carrier and state, so ask yours before you buy.
When a Generator Is NOT Worth It
Renting
You cannot install a permanent generator on a property you do not own. A portable is the right option for renters.
Buying it for resale
On the national average the report recoups 95.3% of the cost, and in the West North Central and Mountain divisions 69% and 77.1%. Buy one for the outages, not as an investment.
Ultra-reliable grid
If you have fewer than one outage per year and mild weather, the outage side of the return is small. Check your utility's reliability data first.
FAQ
Does a whole house generator increase home value?v
It adds value, but on average a little less than it costs. Remodeling's 2025 Cost vs. Value report puts a backup power generator project at a $13,534 job cost nationally and estimates it adds $12,902 to the sale price, so 95.3% of the cost is recouped at resale. The resale figure is an estimate from a survey of real estate agents, not a measurement of actual sale prices.
Where does a generator recoup the most at resale?v
In the 2025 Cost vs. Value report the East South Central division (Alabama, Kentucky, Mississippi, Tennessee) is the only one where agents valued the project well above its cost: $16,174 against an $11,629 job cost, 139.1%. West South Central (104.3%) and New England (102.8%) also come out above cost. West North Central is lowest at 69%, and Mountain is 77.1%.
What generator project does the Cost vs. Value figure describe?v
A modular backup system supplying 70 amps of emergency power across two 240-volt and six 120-volt circuits, on an existing propane supply. It includes the generator on a concrete or composite pad, an automatic transfer switch, a load center, an exterior disconnect, a grounding rod, 30 feet of conduit and cable, 5 feet of flexible fuel line and a battery. That is an essential-circuits install, smaller than a whole-house system sized to run central air.