Keep your home powered. Even when the neighborhood goes dark.

It depends on your home. The biggest factors are the generator's size, whether you choose whole-home or essential-circuit coverage, the type of transfer switch, the distance from the generator to your electrical panel and fuel source, any gas line or propane tank work, and local permit requirements. Because those vary so much from house to house, an accurate price comes from looking at your specific home, which is what the free consultation is for.

Generators are rated in kilowatts (kW), and the right size depends on what you want to run at the same time. Central air conditioning, electric ranges, electric water heaters, well pumps and electric dryers draw the most power. A proper sizing looks at your electrical panel and major appliances rather than square footage alone. Load-management equipment can also let a right-sized generator handle large appliances without paying for a much bigger unit.

If your home already has natural gas service, it is usually the simplest choice: fuel comes from the utility line and never needs refilling. If you don't have natural gas, propane is the common alternative, stored in an on-site tank. Propane works well but has a finite supply, so tank size affects how long you can run during an extended outage. Your installer will look at what's available at your property and the gas meter or tank capacity.

The on-site work for a typical residential installation is often completed in a day or two. The overall timeline from consultation to a working system is usually longer, because it can include permitting, equipment availability, gas utility or propane coordination, and final inspection. You'll get a realistic timeline for your project during the consultation.

Much less than most people expect. Standby generators automatically run a short self-test on a regular schedule so issues show up early. Beyond that, they need periodic service similar to a car engine: oil and filter changes, air filter and spark plug replacement, and a battery check, on the schedule set by the manufacturer. Keeping the area around the unit clear of plants and debris also helps.

Portable generators can be a useful short-term tool, but they work very differently. You have to be home to set one up, refuel it with gasoline, and run extension cords or connect it through an inlet. They must be kept well away from the house because of carbon monoxide risk, and they usually power only a few things. A standby generator is permanently installed, starts automatically through a transfer switch, runs on natural gas or propane, and can power your whole home or your most important circuits, even when you're away.