New Generators for Sale in the UK
New diesel and industrial generating sets, supplied, installed and commissioned by our own engineers. Tell us your load and your site, and we will size the set for you.
If you are looking at new generators for sale, the specification matters more than the headline price. A set that is undersized will trip on start-up loads. A set that is oversized will run lightly loaded, wet-stack, and cost more to maintain across its working life. Getting the kVA, the rating and the enclosure right at the point of purchase is what decides whether the generator quietly does its job for twenty years or becomes a recurring problem on your maintenance schedule.
Powertech Generators supplies new diesel generators to industrial, commercial, agricultural and construction sites across the UK. We size the set against your actual load profile, specify the engine, alternator and control panel to match your duty cycle, and install and commission it on site rather than dropping it on the hardstanding and leaving. Every new generator we supply can be placed on a planned maintenance contract from handover, so the service history and the warranty position stay intact from hour zero.
Send us your load schedule and site details, and we will come back with a specification and a price.
What to decide before you buy a new generator
Four decisions determine the specification, and getting them wrong is expensive to correct after delivery. Work through them before you compare prices, because two quotes for “a 100 kVA generator” can describe very different machines.
Sizing: kVA, kW and start-up loads
Size against your largest start-up load, not your average running load. Direct-on-line motors, compressors, pumps and refrigeration plant can draw five to seven times their running current when they come online, and a generator sized to the average demand will trip the moment they do.
kVA is apparent power and kW is real power; most diesel sets are rated at 0.8 power factor, so a 100 kVA set delivers around 80 kW of usable output. Equipment schedules are usually written in kW and generators are sold in kVA, which is where most undersizing errors begin.
Allow headroom for load you know is coming, and flag any UPS systems, variable speed drives or other non-linear loads, because they change the alternator sizing rather than just the engine sizing.
Standby, prime or continuous rating
Choose the rating that matches how the set will actually be used.
Standby rating (ESP) covers mains failure only, with limited annual running hours and no overload capability.
Prime rating (PRP) is for extended running on a variable load, where the generator is the working supply rather than the backup. Continuous rating (COP) is for constant load and unlimited hours, typically off-grid sites or export.
The same physical machine carries different kVA figures under each rating, so a set advertised at one output may be a smaller machine than you think. Buying a standby-rated set and running it as prime power will shorten its life and can invalidate the manufacturer warranty.
Open set or acoustic canopy
Specify a canopy if the set is going outdoors or anywhere noise is a planning condition.
Open sets cost less and suit plant rooms and containerised installations where the building already provides weather protection and acoustic treatment. Canopied sets arrive weatherproofed and attenuated, usually with the base fuel tank integrated into the frame and lifting points designed for handling.
Check the noise limit at your site boundary before you specify the attenuation level, because upgrading a canopy after installation is far more expensive than ordering the right one.
Emissions, fuel and compliance
Confirm which emissions standard applies to your installation before you order.
Stage V applies to non-road mobile machinery, so transportable and site generators are generally in scope, while fixed sets used purely for emergency standby are treated differently. Larger stationary units can fall under the Medium Combustion Plant Directive, which brings monitoring and permitting obligations with it. If your site sits inside a Clean Air Zone, or you intend to run on HVO rather than conventional diesel, tell us at enquiry stage.
Both change the engine and aftertreatment specification, and HVO approval is engine specific rather than universal.
New diesel generators for sale
Diesel remains the default for standby and prime power on UK industrial sites, for practical reasons rather than habit. The fuel is energy dense, the engines are serviceable by any competent engineer, spare parts are held in the UK, and load acceptance from cold start is better than the alternatives when the mains drops and the load needs picking up in seconds.
Our new diesel generators are built around proven engine platforms, matched to an alternator and control panel specified to your requirement. Control options run from basic manual start, through automatic mains failure with changeover, to full remote monitoring so you know the set has run its weekly exercise without sending anyone to look at it. Sets can be supplied as open skid units, canopied, or containerised for larger installations and bulk fuel arrangements.
New generators by engine brand
The engine is the part of the generator you will live with. Parts availability and engineer familiarity matter more over a twenty year asset life than a small difference in purchase price, which is why we build around a small number of well-supported platforms.
New generators by engine brand
Perkins is the most widely supported diesel platform in the UK, and that is the practical case for specifying it. Parts are readily available, most service engineers know the engines, and that combination keeps downtime and lifetime service costs down. New Perkins-powered sets suit standby duty on critical sites where the priority is that the generator starts and takes load without argument. If you are weighing new against refurbished, we also hold Perkins generators in our used stock.
New JCB generators
JCB sets are built for sites where the generator gets moved, knocked and worked. The canopy and frame design reflects that, which makes them a sensible choice for construction, events and temporary site power rather than a permanent plant room. For an example of the format, see the JCB G45QS generating set in our stock.
New generators by engine brand
Baudouin engines have become a common specification at the larger end of the range, particularly where the duty is standby and the priority is output per pound of capital cost. Support in the UK has improved substantially, and for a set that runs a few dozen hours a year on test and emergency duty the economics often work out in their favour.
New industrial generators by application
The right specification depends as much on what the generator is protecting as on how many kVA it produces. New industrial generators we supply typically fall into a handful of duties.
- Manufacturing and process plant. Protecting production lines where an unplanned stop costs more than the generator. Sizing usually driven by motor start-up loads rather than steady-state demand.
- Healthcare and care facilities. Life safety and essential services loads with strict start and transfer time requirements, and regular documented testing.
- Data, comms and control rooms. Non-linear UPS loads, tight voltage and frequency tolerance, and usually N+1 thinking on the standby side.
- Agriculture and rural sites. Frequently weak or unreliable grid supply, so the set is closer to prime duty than true standby. Fuel autonomy matters.
- Construction and events. Transportable, Stage V compliant, quick to connect, and specified with handling and refuelling in mind.
- Water, waste and utilities. Pump and blower loads, remote unmanned sites, and remote monitoring as a requirement rather than an option.
New or used: which makes more sense for your site
Buy new when the load is critical, when the warranty and clean service history matter, or when you have an emissions or planning condition to satisfy. A new set gives you full manufacturer cover, a control panel built to your specification, current emissions compliance, and a machine with no history you have to take on trust.
Buy used when capital budget is the binding constraint and the duty is intermittent standby. A low-hours, well-maintained used set can deliver comparable standby capability for materially less outlay, and depreciation on a second owner is far gentler. The trade-off is specification: you take the control panel, the enclosure and the rating that the machine already has.
If you are weighing the two, browse used generators for sale or read our guide to buying a used industrial generator
Installation, commissioning and handover
A generator is only as good as its installation. Ours follows the same sequence every time.
- Site survey. We look at access, foundations, ventilation, exhaust routing, fuel storage and the electrical intake before anything is ordered.
- Specification and quotation. You get a specification against your load schedule, not a catalogue page.
- Delivery and positioning. Craned or skated into position, with lifting and access planned in advance.
- Electrical connection and changeover. Cabling, changeover panel and protection installed and tested.
- Load bank testing and commissioning. The set is proven under load, not just started up, and the results are recorded.
- Handover. You receive commissioning records and O&M documentation, and we train your site team on start-up, shutdown and the weekly exercise routine.
See more on generator installation and commissioning
Service and maintenance from day one
The most common reason a standby generator fails is not age. It is a set that has sat untested for years, with a flat battery, degraded fuel and a service schedule nobody owned. Putting a new generator on a planned maintenance contract at handover removes that risk and keeps the warranty position clean, because the servicing, the records and the responsibility sit in one place.
Powertech offers generator service and maintenance contracts on 12 and 36 month terms, covering scheduled servicing, load testing and callout.
Buy a new generator with confidence
Tell us the load, the site and how often the set will run. We will size it, specify it, price it, install it and keep it serviced. No guesswork, no oversizing to be safe, and no set left uncommissioned.
Call 01634 572448 or send your load schedule using the form. We will respond with a specification and a price.
Case Studies
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does a new generator cost in the UK?
Price is driven by output, rating, enclosure and control panel, not by brand alone. As a rule, the capital cost of a new set is only part of the picture: an undersized or wrongly rated generator costs more over its life in fuel, servicing and downtime than the difference between two purchase prices. Send us your load schedule and site details and we will quote against a specification, not a guess.
What size generator do I need?
Size against your largest start-up load, not your average running load. Direct-on-line motors, compressors and pumps can draw five to seven times their running current on start-up, and a set sized to the average demand will trip when they come online. Work in kVA rather than kW, allow headroom for future load, and account for any non-linear loads such as VSDs and UPS systems that affect the alternator sizing. Send us a load schedule and we will size the set for you.
What is the difference between kVA and kW on a generator?
kVA is apparent power and kW is real power, and the gap between them is the power factor. Most diesel generating sets are rated at 0.8 power factor, so a 100 kVA set delivers around 80 kW of usable power. Manufacturers quote generators in kVA and equipment is usually quoted in kW, which is where most undersizing errors start.
What is the difference between standby, prime and continuous rating?
The rating tells you how long the set can run and how much overload it will accept. Standby (ESP) is for mains failure only, with limited annual running hours and no overload capability. Prime (PRP) is for extended running on a variable load. Continuous (COP) is for constant load and unlimited hours, typically off-grid or export applications. Running a standby-rated set as a prime power source will shorten its life and can invalidate the warranty.
What are the lead times on a new generator?
Lead time depends on the output band, the control panel specification and whether the set is stock or built to order. Standard canopied sets in common output bands move fastest; bespoke control panels, non-standard fuel tanks, containerised builds and larger outputs extend the programme.
Do you install and commission the generator?
Yes. Powertech supplies, installs and commissions new generators across the UK, including positioning, electrical connection, changeover and load bank testing before handover. You receive the commissioning records and O&M documentation, and we can train your site team on start-up, shutdown and weekly exercise routines.
Do new generators need to meet Stage V emissions rules?
It depends on whether the set is classed as mobile or stationary, and on how it is used. Stage V applies to non-road mobile machinery, so transportable and site generators are generally in scope, while fixed standby sets used only for genuine emergency supply are treated differently. Larger stationary units can fall under the Medium Combustion Plant Directive. Tell us the site, the intended duty and whether you are in a Clean Air Zone at enquiry stage, because it changes the engine and aftertreatment specification.
Should I buy a new or a used generator?
Buy new when the load is critical, the warranty matters, or you have an emissions or planning condition to satisfy. Buy used when capital budget is the binding constraint and the duty is intermittent standby. A new set gives you a full manufacturer warranty, a clean service history from hour zero and a control panel built to your specification. A low-hours used set can deliver comparable standby capability for materially less capital outlay.
Can I run a new generator on HVO instead of diesel?
Many modern diesel generating sets are approved for HVO, but approval is engine and manufacturer specific and must be confirmed before you order. If HVO is part of your carbon reporting or your site policy, raise it at enquiry stage so the engine specification, fuel system and warranty terms are set up for it from the start rather than retrofitted.
What warranty and service cover comes with a new generator?
New sets carry a manufacturer warranty, and keeping it intact depends on the generator being serviced to the manufacturer’s schedule by a competent engineer. Powertech offers planned maintenance contracts on 12 and 36 month terms so the servicing, records and warranty position stay in one place from handover.