23 Portable Generator Statistics on CO Fatalities, Safety, and Household Backup

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Portable generator statistics here combine reported U.S. carbon-monoxide (CO) fatalities with 2020 household survey estimates. They describe reported cases and backup-generator ownership, not total generator use or risk for every household.

Key Portable Generator Statistics

The most important supplied figures are:

  • In the United States during 2012–2022, 742 people died in 579 reported portable-generator incidents.
  • In the United States in 2022, 35 deaths occurred in 29 reported portable-generator incidents by the CPSC reporting cutoff.
  • During 2018–2020, generators averaged 92 deaths across 71 incidents per year in the United States.
  • Among 88 U.S. outage incidents with a known cause during 2012–2022, 85% were attributed to specific weather conditions.
  • Among generator deaths with known alarm status, 132 deaths occurred where no CO alarm was present, equal to 83% of that subset.
  • Among generator deaths with known alarm status, 27 deaths involved an alarm that was present, equal to 17% of that subset.
  • During 2012–2022, a CO alarm sounded in 8 generator deaths, equal to 5% of deaths with known alarm status.
  • During 2012–2022, 14 generator deaths involved alarms that failed because batteries were removed, incorrectly inserted, or drained.
  • During 2012–2022, 2 generator deaths involved a plug-in alarm with no power, equal to 1% of known-status deaths.
  • In U.S. fixed-structure homes during 2012–2022, 201 deaths occurred in 134 incidents classified as having no ventilation.
  • Some ventilation was attempted in 77 fixed-structure-home incidents involving 102 deaths during 2012–2022.
  • Open or partially open windows, doors, or garage doors were reported in 49 incidents involving 62 deaths in fixed-structure homes during 2012–2022.
  • Fans or directed exhaust were involved in 13 incidents and 15 deaths in fixed-structure homes during 2012–2022.
  • Generators outside but near an opening were involved in 15 incidents and 25 deaths in fixed-structure homes during 2012–2022.
  • In the United States in 2020, about 10% of households earning under $30,000 reported having a backup generator.
  • In the United States in 2020, about 21% of households earning $150,000 or more reported having a backup generator.
  • Among U.S. fixed-structure-home fatal incidents with known size during 2012–2022, 64% occurred in homes smaller than 1,500 square feet.
  • Among the same incidents, 85% occurred in homes smaller than 2,000 square feet.
  • The median home size associated with U.S. fatal generator CO poisoning was approximately 1,290 square feet where size was known.

Contents

CPSC recorded 742 deaths from 579 reported incidents involving portable generators during 2012–2022. These are reported minimums, and reporting for 2021–2022 was incomplete.

Measure Period Reported result
Portable-generator cases 2012–2022 742 deaths; 579 incidents
Portable-generator cases 2022 35 deaths; 29 incidents
Generator cases, annual average 2018–2020 92 deaths; 71 incidents per year

Source: Generators and OEDT CO Poisoning Fatalities Report – 2012 to 2022.

Generator-only cases accounted for 749 deaths across 583 incidents during 2012–2022; the portable-generator subset accounted for most of these.

(Source)

Why Portable Generators Were Being Used

Among 88 outage incidents with a known cause during 2012–2022, 85% were attributed to specific weather conditions. The denominator excludes outage incidents whose cause was unknown, so this is not a share of all generator incidents.

The CPSC records describe reported fatal incidents rather than all generator use, and the weather finding is limited to the coded outage cases with known causes.

Source: Generators and OEDT CO Poisoning Fatalities Report – 2012 to 2022.

CO Alarms, Ventilation, and Exposure Patterns

Alarm status was unknown for 580 generator deaths. Among deaths with known status, 132 occurred without a CO alarm, 27 involved an alarm that was present, and 8 involved an alarm that sounded.

Alarm measure Reported result Scope
No CO alarm present 132 deaths; 83% Known alarm-status deaths
Alarm present 27 deaths; 17% Known alarm-status deaths
Alarm sounded 8 deaths; 5% Known alarm-status deaths
Battery-related alarm failure 14 deaths; 9% Known alarm-status deaths
Plug-in alarm had no power 2 deaths; 1% Known alarm-status deaths

The report also recorded 201 deaths across 134 fixed-structure-home incidents with no ventilation. Some ventilation was attempted in 77 incidents involving 102 deaths, while ventilation was unknown for 250 deaths.

Open or partly open windows, doors, or garage doors appeared in 49 incidents involving 62 deaths. Fans or directed exhaust were involved in 13 incidents and 15 deaths, while generators outside but near an opening were involved in 15 incidents and 25 deaths; these are reported scenarios, not controlled tests of ventilation effectiveness.

Source: Generators and OEDT CO Poisoning Fatalities Report – 2012 to 2022.

In fixed-structure-home generator fatalities, 201 deaths occurred in 134 incidents classified as having no ventilation, or 36% of all deaths in that home category.

(Source)

Some ventilation was attempted in 77 fixed-structure-home generator incidents involving 102 deaths, or 18% of deaths in that category.

(Source)

Household Adoption and Home Characteristics

EIA’s 2020 Residential Energy Consumption Survey measured backup-generator ownership broadly; it should not be relabeled as portable-generator ownership.

2020 household income Households reporting a backup generator
Under $30,000 About 10%
$30,000–$49,999 About 11%
$50,000–$74,999 About 13%
$75,000–$149,999 About 17%
$150,000 or more About 21%

Source: 2020 Residential Energy Consumption Survey.

Among fixed-structure-home fatal incidents with known size, 192 of 300 incidents, or 64%, occurred in homes smaller than 1,500 square feet. 254 of 300 incidents, or 85%, occurred in homes smaller than 2,000 square feet, and the median home size where known was approximately 1,290 square feet.

These home-size figures describe fatal-case homes, not risk for homes generally; size was known for only 300 of 414 incidents, and detached structures were excluded.

Source: Generators and OEDT CO Poisoning Fatalities Report – 2012 to 2022.

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