Generators
Back-Up Generators for BC Homes: Portable vs Standby
Atmospheric rivers, wind events, and heat-dome outages have taught Metro Vancouver homeowners that ten-hour outages are now normal. Here is how to be ready.
Portable, inverter, and standby - which one fits
A portable generator with an interlock kit at your panel is the entry level. You wheel it out during an outage, run an approved inlet cable, and back-feed selected circuits. It is affordable and it works, but you have to be home and awake to start it.
A permanently installed standby generator - Generac, Kohler, Cummins, or Champion - runs on natural gas or propane, starts itself within seconds of an outage, and can carry your whole house. It is the right answer for medical needs, home offices, freezers full of food, and anyone tired of relighting pilot lights.
Automatic transfer switches - the part that matters
The transfer switch is the safety-critical piece. It isolates your home from the utility grid before the generator energizes, which is what keeps a BC Hydro lineman from being shocked by your generator up the pole. It is also what stops the generator from being destroyed when the grid comes back on.
Every standby generator install must have a listed automatic or manual transfer switch, wired under permit, and inspected by Technical Safety BC. It is not a DIY item.
Sizing, gas supply, and placement
We size generators to the actual load calc - not to the biggest number in the brochure. A 22 kW unit is standard for a fully loaded single-family home with heat pump and EV; smaller units work well when a load-shedding module is used to prioritize essentials.
Gas supply must be upsized in most cases, and placement follows Fortis BC and manufacturer clearances from windows, doors, and property lines - critical on tight lots in Vancouver, Burnaby, and Richmond.
Service, batteries, and load banks
Standby generators need annual service, battery replacement every three years or so, and load-bank testing to prove they will actually carry the house when called on. We service every brand we install across Metro Vancouver.
Talk to a Certified BC Master Electrician
Every quote is a fixed price, every job is pulled under permit, and every visit is on time. Serving Vancouver, Burnaby, Richmond, Coquitlam, Port Coquitlam, North Vancouver, Langley, and Delta.
