Electric generator hire
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Generator sizes and what each one runs
Generators are sized in kVA. The table shows what each size typically runs and its day rate, machine only, excluding VAT.
| Size | Typically runs | Per day |
|---|---|---|
| Portable, up to 10 kVA | A house's essentials: lights, fridge, TV, wifi, one kettle or microwave at a time. A market stall, a few hand tools, a camp. | R320–R520 |
| 15–30 kVA | A whole house or a site office with aircon, a small shop, a borehole pump, a small wedding or event marquee. | R680–R1,600 |
| 40–60 kVA | A building site with a welder or two, a concrete mixer, breakers and site lights. A mid-size event with sound and catering. | R2,300–R3,050 |
| 80–150 kVA | A shop, restaurant or small office block, a farm pack-house or cold room, a big event with a stage. | R2,400–R4,600 |
| 200–300 kVA | A whole building: an office block, school, clinic, or the lifts, pumps and lights of a block of flats. | R8,500–R9,750 |
| 500–750 kVA | A factory, a shopping centre, a large construction site with tower cranes. | R14,000–R18,000 |
| 1,000 kVA and up | Large plants, mines and data halls; standby for a whole complex. | R24,000–R27,500 |
How to size a generator yourself
- Add up the kW of everything that runs at the same time (it's on each appliance's plate).
- Divide by 0.8 to get kVA. Generators are rated at a 0.8 power factor: a 250 kVA set gives 200 kW.
- Leave room for starting. Motors, pumps, compressors and aircons pull several times their running power for a moment when they start. Size up so the generator runs at about three-quarters of its rating, not flat out.
Each set has a prime rating (all-day running) and a slightly higher standby rating (emergency use only). A Cummins C275 D5, for example, is 250 kVA prime and 275 kVA standby. Size on the prime figure.
Single-phase or three-phase generator hire
Portables up to 10 kVA are usually single-phase 230 V, the same as a household plug. Site generators from the 15–30 kVA class up give three-phase 400 V for motors, welders and building DB boards, with 230 V sockets as well. If a 3 phase generator is what you need, say so on WhatsApp with the machine it will run.
Small, petrol and inverter generators
For a house during an outage, camping or a stall, a small portable up to 10 kVA does the job. Inverter types give a cleaner supply for laptops and TVs. For anything that runs all day, a diesel site generator in a canopy is quieter per kVA and cheaper to run per hour.
Generator hire prices
These are our day rates per size, machine only (no operator, no diesel), excluding VAT. Transport is its own line on your quote.
| Size | Rate | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Portable generator (up to 10 kVA) | Per day, machine only | R320–R520 |
| 15–30 kVA generator | Per day, machine only | R680–R1,600 |
| 40–60 kVA generator | Per day, machine only | R2,300–R3,050 * |
| 80–150 kVA generator | Per day, machine only | R2,400–R4,600 * |
| 200–300 kVA generator | Per day, machine only | R8,500–R9,750 * |
| 500–750 kVA generator | Per day, machine only | R14,000–R18,000 * |
| 1,000 kVA+ generator | Per day, machine only | R24,000–R27,500 * |
* Few price points for this one, so treat it as a guide; the exact price comes back on WhatsApp.
Weekly and monthly rates for long-term generator hire are priced on WhatsApp. The full price list, with the diesel cost per day worked out for each size and an example quote, is on generator hire rates and diesel cost.
Get a generator price on WhatsAppHow much diesel does a generator use per hour?
Roughly a fifth of a litre per kVA per hour at full load, and much less at part load. These figures are from the manufacturers' data sheets for common 50 Hz sets.
| Generator (or similar) | Half load | 75% load | Full load | Tank and run time at full load |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14 kVA (Atlas Copco QAS 14) | – | – | 3.7 | 115 litres, about 30 hours |
| 25 kVA (Cummins C28 D5) | 3.6 | 4.8 | 6.0 | – |
| 28 kVA (Atlas Copco QAS 30) | – | – | 6.3 | 92 litres, 14 hours (44 hours with the 282-litre tank) |
| 43.5 kVA (Atlas Copco QAS 45) | – | – | 10.1 | 92 litres, 9 hours (28 hours with the 282-litre tank) |
| 60 kVA (Atlas Copco QAS 60) | – | – | 13.4 | 220 litres, 16 hours (32 hours with 430 litres) |
| 100 kVA (Atlas Copco QAS 100) | – | – | 24.0 | 220 litres, 9 hours (18 hours with 430 litres) |
| 150 kVA (Atlas Copco QAS 150) | – | – | 31.9 | 308 litres, 10 hours (23 hours with 750 litres) |
| 200 kVA (Atlas Copco QAS 200) | – | – | 39.2 | 308 litres, 8 hours (19 hours with 750 litres) |
| 250 kVA (Cummins C275 D5) | 25.8 | 38.3 | 52.5 | – |
| 500 kVA (Cummins C550 D5e) | 57.4 | 80.6 | 104.2 | – |
"–" means the manufacturer doesn't publish that figure for the model. Sets over 500 kVA: we give the litres per hour from the data sheet of the machine we send, with your quote.
Part load matters: the 250 kVA set burns 52.5 litres an hour flat out but 25.8 at half load. A generator that is far too big for the job wastes diesel and runs badly, so size it close to what you'll actually use.
Fuel and refuelling
- You supply the diesel. How the generator arrives fuelled, and refuelling on long hires, is set out on your written quote.
- Plan refuels from the run time. A 100 kVA set with a 220-litre tank runs about 9 hours flat out, so a site running 24 hours needs a refuel at least twice a day or the bigger tank. A 14 kVA with 115 litres goes about 30 hours.
- Don't let it run dry. A diesel engine that runs out sucks air into the fuel system and won't restart until it is bled.
- Keep the diesel clean. Use clean containers and keep water and dirt out of the tank; dirty fuel blocks filters and stops the set.
- Refuel with the engine stopped and the exhaust cooled, away from anything that sparks.
The diesel cost per day for each size, at this month's official diesel price, is worked out on the generator hire price list.
Connecting a generator to a building: changeover and earthing
There are two ways to use a hired generator. Plug tools, lights and a site office into the generator's own sockets, or feed a building's wiring so the whole DB board runs. The second is electrical installation work, and the law sets out who may do it.
- A registered electrician connects it. Under the Electrical Installation Regulations, 2009 (GN R.242), a registered person must exercise control over installation work (reg 5(4)), and only a registered person may issue a certificate of compliance (reg 9(1)).
- A certificate of compliance covers it. The user or lessor of an electrical installation must have a valid certificate of compliance for it (reg 7(1)). Installations are tested against the wiring code, SANS 10142-1, when the certificate is issued.
- Through a changeover switch. The electrician fits a changeover switch so the building takes power from the mains or the generator, never both. Without it, the generator can feed back into the municipal or Eskom line and endanger people working on it, and the returning mains can wreck the generator.
- Earthed properly. The generator is earthed and bonded to the building's earth so the earth leakage and breakers trip when they should. The electrician checks this before signing off.
Running a generator to a building for a few days? Book your electrician for the day it arrives. The generator, the cable run and the changeover point should be agreed before delivery so the set can be placed where the cable reaches.
Silent generator hire and noise
Site generators come in sound-proofed canopies, the "silent" sets. The manufacturer's sound pressure figures, measured 7 metres away:
| Generator | Sound at 7 m |
|---|---|
| 14 kVA | 59 dB(A) |
| 60 kVA | 62 dB(A) |
| 100 kVA | 64 dB(A) |
| 200 kVA | 67 dB(A) |
That is about the level of normal conversation. For weddings, estates and night running, place the set as far from guests and bedrooms as the cable allows, with the exhaust pointing away from windows and tents: diesel exhaust carries carbon monoxide. Many estates and municipalities have noise rules for night-time running, so check yours.
Delivery, transport and what to prepare
Portables and site generators arrive on a trailer or truck. Johannesburg is one of the main centres we send machines from. Transport for a generator there and back usually comes to R1,300–R3,840, shown as its own line on your quote. Further out, transport is worked from the road distance from the nearest main centre.
- A firm, level spot the truck can reach. A 60 kVA set weighs about 1.8 t ready to run; big sets need a truck with a crane.
- Ventilation: outdoors, never in a closed room or garage.
- Cable distance: know how far it is from the generator spot to the DB board or the site office.
- Security on open sites: a fenced or watched spot overnight.
Generators run without an operator. Booking is the same as any other machine: WhatsApp the size, the town and the dates, we confirm the price in writing, you pay the deposit and the generator arrives. The steps are on how it works, and our rules on certificates and safe machines are on safety and certificates.
Generator hire near you
We send generators to sites, homes, farms and events in all 9 provinces. Local prices and transport for the main cities:
- Generator hire in Cape Town
- Generator hire in Durban
- Generator hire in Johannesburg
- Generator hire in Port Elizabeth
- Generator hire in Pretoria
Other towns: see every area we cover, or WhatsApp us your town. Need to break concrete or mix it on the same site? A portable generator runs an electric jackhammer (the heavy ones draw about 1.9 kW) or an electric concrete mixer: see jackhammer, compressor and mixer hire.
WhatsApp us the size and townQuestions people ask
What size generator do I need for a house?
For the essentials (lights, fridge, TV, wifi, a kettle or microwave one at a time) a portable up to 10 kVA is enough, at R320–R520 a day. To run a whole house with a geyser, stove, pool pump and aircon at the same time, step up to the 15–30 kVA class (R680–R1,600 a day), which needs an electrician and a changeover switch to feed the house wiring.
How much diesel does a 60 kVA generator use?
About 13.4 litres an hour at full load, from the manufacturer's data for a 60 kVA set (Atlas Copco QAS 60 or similar). Over an 8-hour day flat out that is about 107 litres. At part load it uses less; the worked diesel cost per day is on our generator hire price list.
Can I hire a 3 phase generator?
Yes. Site generators from the 15–30 kVA class up give three-phase 400 V for motors, welders and building distribution boards, plus single-phase 230 V. Tell us on WhatsApp that you need three-phase and what it will run.
Do I need an electrician to connect a hired generator?
To feed a building's wiring, yes. That is electrical installation work: a registered person must do it through a changeover switch and issue a certificate of compliance under the Electrical Installation Regulations, 2009. Plugging tools and lights into the generator's own sockets needs no electrician.
Is diesel included in generator hire?
No. Our generator prices are machine only: no operator and no diesel. You buy the diesel, which is often the bigger cost on a long run, so check the litres per hour for your size before you book.
Can I hire a generator for a wedding or outdoor event?
Yes. A small wedding with lights, a sound system and catering urns usually runs on a 15–30 kVA silent generator; a big marquee with cold rooms and a stage needs 40–60 kVA or more. Send us the list of what will be plugged in and we'll size it.
Related
Sources we checked
- Atlas Copco QAS mobile diesel generators: 50 Hz prime ratings
- Atlas Copco QAS range brochure (EU, 50 Hz): fuel consumption at 100% prime load, tank sizes, run time and sound pressure at 7 m for QAS 14 to QAS 200
- Cummins Power Generation data sheets, 50 Hz: C28 D5 (DS342-CPGK-RevF), C275 D5 (DS22-CPGK-RevD), C550 D5e (DS349-CPGK-RevE): fuel consumption at 1/4, 1/2, 3/4 and full load
- Atlas Copco QAS 60 data sheet (50 Hz): 60 kVA prime, operational weight 1,805 kg
- Cummins diesel generator set rating cards, Europe 50 Hz (2025): prime and standby ratings
- Electrical Installation Regulations, 2009 (GN R.242 of 6 March 2009) under the OHS Act 85 of 1993
Need a generator?
WhatsApp us the job, the town and the dates. We confirm the machine, the start date and the price in writing before the machine moves.
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