Inverter vs conventional generator for home backup
A conventional generator gets you more watts for the money: in Westinghouse's lineup they cost $138 to $147 per 1,000 running watts, against $242 to $359 for its inverters. An inverter is quieter and lighter to move, and Westinghouse promises clean power for electronics. Pick a conventional unit for big loads and 240 V through a transfer switch, and an inverter for the essentials and quiet nights.
Published , by Alex Rowan
We haven't tested these units ourselves. Every figure comes from the maker's store page or manual, and every price shows the store and the day we checked it. To keep the comparison fair, the table uses one maker on both sides. Links go to the maker's store, and we don't earn anything from them. How we work.
Side by side, one maker
| Model | Type | Running | Starting | Price | Per 1,000 running watts | Lowest noise | Weight | THD | 240 V | CO shut-off |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Westinghouse iGen2800c (opens in a new tab) | Inverter | 2,200 W | 2,800 W | $549 Westinghouse price, Oct 27, 2026, listed as out of stock | $250 | 52 dB(A) | 45 lb | Under 3% | No | Yes |
| Westinghouse iGen2800DFc (opens in a new tab) | Inverter | 2,200 W | 2,800 W | $599 Westinghouse price, Oct 27, 2026, listed as out of stock | $272 | 52 dB(A) | 45 lb | Under 3% | No | Yes |
| Westinghouse iGen4000c (opens in a new tab) | Inverter | 3,300 W | 4,000 W | $799 Westinghouse price, Oct 27, 2026, listed as out of stock | $242 | Not published | 61.7 lb | Under 3% | No | Yes |
| Westinghouse iGen4000DFc (opens in a new tab) | Inverter | 3,300 W | 4,000 W | $859 Westinghouse price, Oct 27, 2026, listed as out of stock | $260 | Not published | 62.8 lb | Under 3% | No | Yes |
| Westinghouse iGen5000DFc EFI (opens in a new tab) | Inverter | 3,900 W | 5,000 W | $1,399 Westinghouse price, Oct 27, 2026, listed as out of stock | $359 | 61 dB(A) | 111 lb | Under 3% | No | Yes |
| Westinghouse WGen3600DFv (opens in a new tab) | Conventional | 3,600 W | 4,650 W | $499 Westinghouse price, Oct 27, 2026, listed as out of stock | $139 | 68 dB(A) | 104 lb | Not listed | No | Not listed |
| Westinghouse WGen5300 (opens in a new tab) | Conventional | 5,300 W | 6,600 W | $729 Westinghouse price, Oct 27, 2026, listed as out of stock | $138 | 68 dB(A) | 136.6 lb | Not listed | Yes | Not listed |
| Westinghouse WGen9500DFc (opens in a new tab) | Conventional | 9,500 W | 12,500 W | $1,399 Westinghouse price, Oct 27, 2026, listed as out of stock | $147 | 74 dB(A) | Not listed | Not listed | No | Yes |
All figures are from Westinghouse's store pages. Noise is the lowest level Westinghouse gives for each model, without a distance, so the numbers compare with each other but not with other brands. THD is total harmonic distortion, a measure of how clean the power is. "Not listed" means the store page doesn't say. Westinghouse showed every model as out of stock in its own store on the day we checked.
Two matched pairs
The Westinghouse WGen3600DFv makes 3,600 W running, 300 W more than the Westinghouse iGen4000DFc, and costs $360 less. The inverter weighs 62.8 lb to the conventional's 104 lb. Westinghouse doesn't give a noise figure for the iGen4000DFc; its smaller iGen2800 models start at 52 dB(A), against 68 dB(A) for the WGen3600DFv.
One size up, the Westinghouse WGen5300 makes 5,300 W running for $729, while the Westinghouse iGen5000DFc EFI makes 3,900 W for $1,399. The WGen5300 also has a 120/240 V twist-lock outlet that Westinghouse calls transfer switch ready, which none of the inverters here have. It weighs 136.6 lb, though, and starts at 68 dB(A) to the iGen5000DFc's 61.
What's actually different
How they make power
A conventional generator's engine turns the alternator at a fixed speed to hold the output at 60 hertz, whatever the load. An inverter generator turns the engine's output into DC and back into AC electronically, so the engine can slow down when the load is light. Honda calls this Eco Throttle, and Westinghouse calls it variable engine speed.
Fuel
Westinghouse says variable engine speed gives its inverters 30% to 50% better fuel efficiency than a traditional generator. That's the maker's claim. Since the savings come from slowing the engine, they show at light loads, like a fridge and a few lights overnight. Westinghouse doesn't publish fuel use by load for its conventional models here, so we can't check the figure ourselves. The conventional ones do have bigger tanks: 4 gal on the WGen3600DFv against 1.69 gal on the iGen4000DFc.
Power quality
Westinghouse lists under 3% total harmonic distortion for its inverters and says that's safe for laptops, TVs and phones. Its pages for the conventional models here don't give a figure, so the maker makes no promise either way. If you plan to run computers, check the manual of the model you're considering.
Noise and weight
Every inverter in the table with a published figure starts quieter than every conventional model, at 52 to 61 dB(A) against 68 to 74 dB(A). The quietest generators page compares noise across brands.
240 V and big loads
None of the Westinghouse inverters here has 240 V, while the WGen5300 does. Among inverters, the Honda EU7000iS is one with a 240 V outlet, at a much higher price. If you want to run a 240 V well pump or feed house circuits through a transfer switch or interlock kit, a conventional generator is usually the cheaper way to get there. The backfeeding guide explains the safe ways to connect.
Safety features
All the inverters here and the conventional WGen9500DFc shut themselves off when they sense carbon monoxide. The WGen3600DFv and WGen5300 pages don't list that feature, and their names on the store leave out the "with CO Sensor" that Westinghouse puts on the models that have one. A sensor doesn't make any generator safe in a garage or near a window, and you still need CO alarms inside.
Which one to buy
Choose an inverter if
- You mainly need the essentials: the fridge, a freezer, the router, lights and phones. The calculator's starting list runs at 1,576 W and peaks at 3,776 W when the fridge starts.
- It will run at night near your house or your neighbors'.
- You need to move it by hand or store it in a small space.
Choose a conventional generator if
- You want the most watts for your budget, for a well pump or several big loads at once.
- You need 240 V for a transfer switch or interlock kit.
- It will sit in one spot outside and noise matters less.
For specific models, see our inverter generator picks. If you're choosing between fuels too, the dual fuel vs gas comparison covers that.