GENERATOR INSTALLATION:
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW.
Between hurricane season, summer storms, and the occasional transformer failure, Florida homeowners lose power more than most of the country. A generator is an investment — and it is also one of the easier things to buy wrong.
Portable vs. standby: the real trade-off
Portable generators are cheaper up front, but they require manual setup, outdoor fuel storage (gasoline goes bad in months), and a proper transfer mechanism so you are not backfeeding through an extension cord. Standby generators — the ones that live in a box next to the house on a concrete pad — start automatically, run on natural gas or propane, and transfer power via a code-compliant automatic transfer switch.
If you work from home, keep medications refrigerated, or have a well pump, a standby is almost always worth it.
The transfer switch is the code part
Florida code (and the NEC) requires that any generator feeding a home's wiring be connected through a listed transfer switch — either automatic (for standby) or manual (for portable). The transfer switch physically disconnects your house from the utility before connecting it to the generator. Without it, you can backfeed the grid and electrocute a lineman. No licensed electrician will install a generator without one.
Sizing: more is not always better
An oversized generator is inefficient and expensive. An undersized one trips under load. For most Florida homes, a standby between 18 kW and 26 kW covers essentials plus air conditioning. A whole-home approach to a 4,000 sq ft house with two ACs and a pool pump is different. A licensed electrician runs a load calculation before recommending a size — we actually do that math, not just read the marketing sticker.
Permits, inspections, and insurance
A standby generator install involves the fuel supply (gas permit), the concrete pad, the transfer switch, the conduit run, and the load side connections. Most Florida counties require permits for all of it. Do not skip this — unpermitted generator work surfaces on home inspections and can void the manufacturer's warranty.
Need a licensed electrician?
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Common mistakes
- Buying the generator before a load calculation is done
- Letting a non-electrician wire the transfer switch
- Ignoring fuel-supply sizing (gas line too small starves the unit)
- Skipping the annual test / maintenance that manufacturers require
Related: residential electrical · service areas.