Guides

How to Price Generator Installation: An Electrician's Guide

Size the standby generator under NEC 702.4, choose the transfer switch, site it to the manufacturer's clearances, sub the gas line, then price a 22 kW whole home install line by line.

Ijharul Islam October 21, 2026 9 min read

How to price generator installation, in short: size the unit with a load calculation, pick the transfer switch, then add electrical hours at your cost per billable hour, the generator package, pad, wiring, the plumber's gas line and permits, and divide by one minus your margin. Our worked 22 kW standby install costs $9,674.86 and sells for about $12,095 at 20%.

More on this topic: Pricing, estimates and getting paid, every guide in one place.

A whole home standby generator looks like an equipment sale, but most of the risk is in the parts around the box: the sizing, the transfer switch, where the unit can legally sit and how far the gas has to run. This guide prices one 22 kW install with the same $115.27 cost per billable hour and 20% margin as our electrical pricing guide, so the numbers line up with the rest of your price book.

Key takeaways

Size it to the code. Under 2023 NEC 702.4(A)(2), an automatic system must carry the full automatically connected load, or use a load management system under 750.30.
Site it before you price it. Generac's guidance, based on NFPA 37, starts at 5 feet from wall openings; local code wins.
The gas line is usually a sub's price. Get it in writing before you send the quote.
Same math as every job: 18 labor hours at $115.27 plus equipment, wiring, gas and permits, divided by 0.8.
Check the warranty path: Generac says only its authorized service dealers can handle warranty claims.
Sell the annual service with the install; it's recurring work on a machine you already know.

What does a standby generator install include?

A standby install includes six pieces of work, and the quote should price each one:

Line	Who usually does it	What moves the price
Site visit and load calculation	Electrician	Panel condition, which loads the customer wants backed up
Generator and transfer switch package	Supplier; you install	Size, air-cooled or liquid-cooled, switch type and amperage
Pad and setting the unit	Electrician or helper	Access to the spot, gravel base, distance from the truck
Transfer switch and wiring	Electrician	Service-rated switch at the meter or a load-side switch; run length
Gas line and connection	Licensed plumber or gas fitter where required	Distance from the meter, pipe size, meter capacity
Permits, inspection, startup and walkthrough	Electrician	City fees, inspection waits, utility coordination

How do you size the generator and transfer switch?

Size it from a load calculation and the type of transfer, because the code ties the two together. North Carolina's formal interpretation of the 2023 NEC (December 2024) quotes 702.4(A)(2): where the load connection is automatic, the standby source must either supply the full load that is automatically connected, or, where an energy management system under 750.30 manages the load, supply the maximum load that system will connect. The calculation follows Article 220 or another approved method.

The same interpretation says a generator smaller than the house's full load is acceptable with an automatic transfer switch only if a properly installed energy management system sheds load automatically, and that sending the homeowner a notice to switch things off doesn't count, because “automatic” means no human intervention.

What that means for the quote, as an example: a 200-amp house whose calculated load is well above what a 22 kW unit can carry needs either a bigger unit or load-shedding modules on the big loads (air conditioning, range, dryer, EV charger). Price the modules as their own line. If you need a refresher on existing-load calculations, see our panel upgrade pricing guide; check which NEC edition and amendments your jurisdiction enforces.

Where can the generator go?

The generator goes where the manufacturer's clearances and your local code allow, and that spot sets your wire and gas lengths, so fix it on the site visit. Generac's support article (March 2026), based on NFPA 37, lists for its home standby units:

5 feet from openings in walls: windows, doors, vents and window wells.
18 inches from the back of the unit to the wall, only for models marked with the SwRI logo; other units need 5 feet from combustible materials and 3 feet from non-combustible ones.
3 feet at the front and both ends, and 5 feet of clearance above.
Local codes take precedence, and Generac notes a unit may need to sit farther away to keep exhaust out of the house.

Other brands publish their own figures in the installation manual. Measure the run from the spot to the panel or meter and to the gas meter, and write both on the quote. A long wire run may need a bigger conductor; the free voltage drop calculator finds the smallest copper or aluminum size that stays within your target for that length.

Who should run the gas line?

A licensed plumber or gas fitter should run it wherever your state or city requires one, and many electrical shops sub it out even where they don't have to. Get the sub's written price after they've sized the pipe for the generator's full gas demand plus the house's existing appliances, and ask whether the gas meter needs upgrading, which is a utility job with its own lead time. Add the sub's price to your costs so the margin covers your coordination time, and list it on the quote so the customer sees it.

How do you price a 22 kW install, step by step?

Price it line by line at $115.27 per billable hour and a 20% margin. The job: an air-cooled 22 kW natural gas unit with a 200-amp service-rated automatic transfer switch, set 15 feet from the meter. The $115.27 comes from a $31 wage with 30% burden at a 55% billable ratio, plus truck and overhead; the BLS May 2025 median for electricians was $30.38 an hour. Equipment, material and sub figures are example numbers:

Line	Cost
Labor: 18 hours × $115.27 (1.5 survey and load calc, 3 set pad and unit, 6 transfer switch, 4 conduit and wiring, 3.5 startup, inspection and walkthrough)	$2,074.86
Generator and transfer switch package (your distributor cost)	$6,000.00
Pad base, gravel, anchors	$100.00
Wire, conduit, whip, fittings	$350.00
Gas line by plumbing sub (written quote)	$900.00
Electrical and gas permits (example; varies by city)	$250.00
Total cost	$9,674.86
Price at 20% margin (÷ 0.8)	$12,093.58, round to $12,095

Some shops take a lower margin on the equipment to stay competitive. If you do, write the rule down and use it every time. Example: the same job at 20% on everything except the package, and 10% on the package, is $3,674.86 ÷ 0.8 + $6,000 ÷ 0.9 = $11,260. Your overhead is already in the $115.27, so that cut comes out of profit, not overhead.

A sanity check against what homeowners read: ThePricer's July 2026 guide lists $9,500 to $24,000 installed for 22 to 25 kW units, transfer switch installation at $1,200 to $1,600, gas lines at $400 to $1,500 or more, pads at $150 to $400 and permits at $80 to $450. It also lists a retail 22 kW package with a 200-amp switch at $6,839. If your total is far outside those ranges, check the hours first.

Do you need to be an authorized dealer?

Not to install, but it matters for warranty work, so decide before you quote. Generac's support article (June 2026) says its Independent Authorized Service Dealers apply to Generac as a dealer, complete web and hands-on training and pass a certification exam, with separate training for air-cooled and liquid-cooled units. It says only these dealers can handle warranty claims with Generac and that work by a technician who isn't one may void the warranty. Other manufacturers run their own programs; check the terms for the brand you sell, and tell the customer who handles warranty calls.

Should you sell a maintenance plan with every generator?

Yes. Offer it at the signing, when the customer is thinking about reliability. Price the visit with the same formula. Example: 1.5 hours × $115.27 = $172.91, plus $60 for oil, filter and plugs, is $232.91 of cost, or about $295 a visit at 20%. Our maintenance plan pricing guide shows how to turn a visit price into a yearly or monthly plan.

What should a generator quote say?

Unit size, fuel and transfer switch, and which loads are backed up or managed.
The load calculation result in one line, and the NEC section it meets.
Location with clearances, and the wire and gas run lengths.
The gas line: who runs it, and whether a meter upgrade is excluded.
Permits, inspection, the utility outage for a service-rated switch, and who books each.
Warranty: the manufacturer's terms, your labor warranty, and who handles claims.
License number, deposit, payment terms and expiry date. Our electrical estimate template has a layout to copy.

Customers often ask to pay over time on a job this size; see customer financing for contractors for the options.

Where CrewRobin fits

CrewRobin's price book holds the install lines, load-shedding modules and the annual service on every plan, and you send them as good, better, best quotes the customer picks and signs online, with a deposit when it's approved, taken off the final invoice. Maintenance plans cover 1 to 12 visits a year, each added as a job 14 days ahead and billed yearly, monthly or per visit, and the customer gets a reminder text about a day before. CrewRobin doesn't do load calculations, pull permits, register manufacturer warranties or offer consumer financing. See how it works for electricians.

Frequently asked questions

How much should an electrician charge to install a whole home generator?

Price it from your own costs. Our worked 22 kW install, with 18 labor hours at $115.27, a $6,000 package, wiring, a $900 gas line sub and permits, costs $9,674.86 and sells for about $12,095 at a 20% margin. ThePricer's July 2026 guide lists $9,500 to $24,000 installed for 22 to 25 kW units.

How many labor hours does a standby generator install take?

Our example uses 18 electrician hours for an air-cooled 22 kW unit with a service-rated transfer switch, including the survey, startup and inspection. Long runs, load-shedding modules, a panel relocation or a liquid-cooled unit add time, so check against your own jobs.

Does a standby generator have to power the whole house?

With an automatic transfer switch, 2023 NEC 702.4(A)(2) requires the generator to carry the full automatically connected load, unless an energy management system under 750.30 limits the load automatically. Check which edition and amendments your jurisdiction enforces.

How far does a generator have to be from the house?

Generac's guidance, based on NFPA 37, is 5 feet from windows, doors and vents, 18 inches from the wall for SwRI-marked models, and 3 feet at the front and ends. Local codes take precedence, and other brands publish their own figures.

Should electricians mark up the generator itself?

Yes, the package should carry a margin, but some shops use a lower one on equipment than on labor. In our example, 10% on the package and 20% on everything else gives $11,260 instead of $12,095. Pick a rule and use it every time.

Put it to work this week

Put your generator install and annual service in one price book and quote both on the same visit. CrewRobin is free until your first 10 booked jobs, no card up front. Start free or see pricing.

Sources

Figures from outside CrewRobin were checked against these pages in October 2026. Most industry benchmarks come from vendors and agencies, so treat them as ranges, not rules.

#electrical #pricing #generators #guides