Standby generator and transfer switch installation in Denver
A standby system is really two installations: the generator with its fuel supply, and the transfer switch that decides what stays on.
Every optional standby system needs transfer equipment that makes it impossible for the generator and the utility to be connected at the same moment. An automatic transfer switch senses the outage, starts the unit, and moves the load over without anyone going outside, while a manual switch or a listed interlock does the same job with the homeowner operating it. Backfeeding a receptacle or a dryer outlet is not a legal substitute and it puts line workers at risk.
Sizing is a conversation about which loads matter. A whole-house switch carries everything and needs a unit big enough for the worst-case draw, while a critical-loads panel picks out the furnace, the well pump, the refrigerator, and a handful of circuits, and runs on a smaller machine. Along the Front Range elevation is a second factor: naturally aspirated engines lose roughly three percent of their output per thousand feet above sea level, so a unit rated at sea level does not deliver its nameplate at Denver altitude.
The whole electrical scope is ours. It starts with a load calculation that sizes the unit to what you actually want running during an outage. From there we install the transfer switch, wire the generator, set up the pad location, and coordinate the gas trade for the fuel hookup. The system is permitted, inspected, and tested before we leave, so when the power goes out, the generator does its job.
do I need a transfer switch for a whole house generator?
Yes. The code requires transfer equipment on any standby system so the two sources can never be tied together, and the switch is what lets a generator feed your panel instead of a tangle of extension cords.
what size standby generator does a house need?
It depends on whether you want the whole house or a selected set of circuits. Sizing starts from a load calculation on what you plan to run, with particular attention to motor starting loads like a well pump or an air conditioner, which draw several times more at startup than while running.
how does a standby generator connect to the house?
Two trades meet at the unit. A gas fitter we coordinate runs the natural gas or propane supply, and the electrical side is a feeder between the generator and the transfer switch plus the control conductors that let the switch start and stop it. The switch itself sits between the utility service and the panel it feeds.
Based in Golden and on site across the Denver metro, from Lakewood, Wheat Ridge, and Arvada to the foothills.