Generators & transfer switches

Standby generators

A permanently installed standby generator sits outside like a condenser unit, runs on natural gas or propane, and starts automatically within seconds of an outage. You don't have to be home, and you don't have to drag anything out of the garage in the dark during an ice storm.

It's a real electrical installation, not an appliance delivery: a gas line, a concrete or composite pad, a transfer switch tied into your service, and a permit and inspection.

Transfer switches

The transfer switch is the part that matters most for safety. It isolates your building from the utility while the generator is running, which prevents backfeeding power onto the lines that utility crews are working on. Backfeeding kills linemen. It is the reason a generator must never be connected to a house through an outlet or an improvised cord.

• Automatic transfer switches — switch over on their own, no one home required
• Manual transfer switches — lower cost, used with portable generators
• Whole-building or essential-circuits configurations, depending on generator size

Sizing it correctly

Sizing depends on what you actually need running. Essential circuits — furnace, refrigerator, sump pump, well pump, a few lights and outlets — is a much smaller and cheaper machine than whole-house with central air. We'll do a load calculation on your actual panel rather than guessing from square footage.

If you're on a well or have a finished basement with a sump pump, we'd generally argue those two circuits alone justify the installation in this climate.

Maintenance

A standby generator exercises itself weekly and needs periodic service — oil, filters, battery. A generator that hasn't been maintained is a very expensive lawn ornament on the night you need it. We can set up a service schedule.