Standby Generator Installation on the North Shore

What this is

A standby generator is not a portable Honda in the driveway. It sits on a pad, starts when the power drops, and feeds the circuits you actually need — furnace, fridge, well or sump, a few lights, maybe the freezer in the garage. The transfer switch and the panel are the work. The box in the yard is the last piece.

• Look at the panel, the gas service, and where a pad can legally sit
• Size the unit to the load you want to keep, not a catalog number
• Install the transfer switch, the feeder, and the generator — Generac Certified
• Pull the permit so the village can inspect it

Generator services, by job

Generator work is more than the box in the yard. These are the jobs in this category.

• Standby generator installation — pad, gas coordination, feeder, and the unit. Generac Certified
• Automatic transfer switches — the switch that moves the house to generator power when the utility drops and back when it returns
• Essential-circuit and managed-load setups — a smaller unit that carries the furnace, sump, fridge, and a few rooms instead of the whole panel
• Portable generator inlets — an outdoor inlet and a manual transfer switch so a portable unit feeds the house through the panel, not through a window with cords
• Panel work first — when the service cannot take a transfer switch, that is the first job

Sizing: whole house, or the circuits that matter

The size question is a load question. Furnace or boiler, sump or well, fridge and freezer, a few lights, the garage door, maybe the air conditioning. Most North Shore houses do not need every circuit in a storm. A managed-load setup carries what matters on a smaller unit; a whole-house unit carries everything. We walk the panel with you and put the number to the load you actually want to keep.

The panel and the load

If the service is still 60- or 100-amp, the generator conversation starts there. A unit that can run half the house does not help if the panel cannot take the transfer switch. We look in person. If a panel upgrade has to come first, we price that separately — same licensed electrician.

Whole-house versus a managed load: most North Shore houses do not need to run every circuit in a storm. We pick the ones that matter and size to that.

Gas, pad, and setbacks

Northbrook, Lake Forest, and Highland Park care about setbacks from windows, property lines, and the meter. The pad has to drain. The gas line has to feed the unit without starving the house. We coordinate that before a crate shows up on the drive.

Permits and inspection

This is inspected work. We pull the electrical permit. If the village wants a gas inspection too, we tell you that up front. You should not be guessing which form to file.

Living with a standby generator

The unit runs a short self-test on a schedule, so a weekly start-up is normal. Keep the intake and exhaust clear of snow and leaves. If it fails to start on its test day, call before the storm does. Oil and filter service follows the manufacturer’s schedule.

What moves the number

The unit is one line. Gas run, pad, setbacks, transfer switch, and whether the panel can take the load are the rest. A 100-amp service that has to move first is a different job than a pad next to an existing 200-amp panel. We do not publish a fake starting price. You get a number after we walk the yard.

What a visit looks like

We walk the yard, open the panel, and look at the meter. If the site works, you get a clear number for the generator, the switch, and the run. If it does not — too close to a window, a panel that has to move first — we say so on that visit.

1. Call or request a visit. Photos of the panel and the side yard help.
2. We look at load, gas, and setbacks in person.
3. You get an estimate. No padded extras.
4. We schedule, pull the permit, install, and meet the inspector.