Briggs & Stratton Generators

Briggs & Stratton has 4 units on Outage Geek, priced from $4,460 to $6,970. The least expensive Briggs & Stratton model here is the Briggs & Stratton PowerProtect 13kW at $4,460, and the lineup below runs cheapest first.

~$4,460

Home Standby Generator · NG/LP · 69 dB

Briggs & Stratton PowerProtect 13kW

Briggs & Stratton's small-footprint standby unit fits where a Guardian or Kohler will not: it is about 28 by 25 inches, so owners with tight lot lines or a narrow side yard shortlist it first. The 627cc Vanguard engine makes 13kW on propane and 11.5kW on natural gas, which covers a furnace, fridge, well pump and a small-to-mid central AC but not a whole large house. Shoppers weighing it against the Generac 14kW point to the 7-year warranty, which includes labor and technician travel. Two things come up again and again: it is loud, since 69 dB is louder than the 61 dB Guardian 10kW, and the listed price excludes the transfer switch, which is a separate purchase. Dealer coverage is thinner than Generac's, so check who services it locally before you buy.

13,000 W · up to well pump or a small central AC

running: 13,000 W
Transfer switch: transfer-switch ready

Best for Owners of mid-size homes with a narrow side yard who want a 7-year warranty that covers labor, and can live with 69 dB.

Full spec sheet

~$5,746

Home Standby Generator · NG/LP · 68 dB

Briggs & Stratton PowerProtect 18kW

The mid-range PowerProtect answers the most common standby question: what is the biggest air-cooled unit that does not lose power on natural gas. Briggs' NGMax tuning holds the full 18kW on both fuels, where several rivals in this class list a lower natural-gas rating, and the 993cc Vanguard has 45 kVA of motor starting for a 3 to 4 ton AC. Owners who run it through summer outages report it carrying AC, well pump and range together without sag. Complaints are the usual ones for the class: it is audible at 68 dB, the quoted price leaves out the transfer switch, and dealer support is patchier than for Generac. The 7-year warranty including labor and travel is the real selling point against a Guardian 18kW, and install labor, gas and electrical work usually cost more than the generator itself.

18,000 W · up to whole home with central air

running: 18,000 W
Transfer switch: transfer-switch ready

Best for Owners of 2,000-3,000 sq ft homes who run central AC and want full rated power on natural gas.

Full spec sheet

~$6,037

Home Standby Generator · NG/LP · 68 dB

Briggs & Stratton PowerProtect 22kW

Briggs' PowerProtect 22kW has one spec nobody else in the class matches: NGMax tuning delivers the full 22,000 watts on natural gas — no derate — where Generac's 22kW drops to 19.5kW and Kohler's 20kW to 18kW. If your home runs on NG, that's effectively a size-class upgrade for free. The commercial-grade Vanguard 993cc V-twin (Briggs' premium engine line) drives it, the aluminum enclosure is rated for 186-mph hurricane winds, and the 7-year parts/labor/travel warranty beats the standard 5-year offers. So why isn't it everywhere? The dealer network is thin, parts distribution has been slower since Briggs' 2020 bankruptcy and KPS acquisition, and retail visibility is low — Lowe's is the main storefront. At 68 dBA normal / 64 dBA idle-mode it's mid-pack for noise.

22,000 W · up to whole home with central air

running: 22,000 W
Transfer switch: transfer-switch ready

Best for Natural-gas homes that want maximum NG output per dollar and a longer warranty than the big two.

Full spec sheet

~$6,970

Home Standby Generator · NG/LP · 65 dB

Briggs & Stratton PowerProtect 26kW

Briggs' answer to the Generac Guardian 26kW and Kohler 26RCA, and the only one of the three that ships with a 10-year comprehensive warranty. It uses the same 993cc Vanguard as the 18kW, tuned to 26kW on propane and 24kW on natural gas, with 65.5 kVA of motor starting at a 35 percent voltage dip. That is enough to run a 5-ton AC or two units on a whole-house transfer switch with load management. At 65 dBA it is the quietest PowerProtect on the spec sheet, though still a loud neighbor. The price is $6,970 before a transfer switch, and a 200-amp switch with install is where the real money goes. It is rated for off-grid and demand-response use and can sit 18 inches from a building where local code allows. The catch is the same as for the whole Briggs line: a smaller dealer network than Generac.

26,000 W · up to whole home with central air

running: 26,000 W
Transfer switch: transfer-switch ready

Best for Large homes that want whole-house air-cooled backup with the longest warranty in the class, and have a Briggs installer nearby.

Full spec sheet