“They showed me where the pad would go and why before anything was quoted. The inspection was on the calendar before the concrete went in.”
Gladys A.Homeowner, Leland
Whole-house standby generators · Wilmington, NC
A generator that takes over before you reach the flashlight
We design, permit and install standby generators for homes on the Cape Fear coast: the pad, the transfer switch, the gas connection and the inspection, in one order, written down before work starts.
- Licensed and insured in North Carolina
- Permit and inspection handled for you
- A written quote before work starts
Five parts, one job
What the install includes
A standby generator is five jobs that have to line up. This is who does each one, and in what order.
- 01Our crew
Step 1: The pad
A level, reinforced concrete pad outdoors, set at the distances from windows, doors and the property line that the maker and the county require. On a coastal lot we also set its height against your flood zone.
- 02Our electricians
Step 2: The transfer switch
Wired in at your main panel or at the meter. It disconnects the house from the grid before the generator connects, so power never flows back onto the line a crew may be working on.
- 03Licensed gas fitter
Step 3: The gas
Natural gas or propane, connected by a licensed gas fitter we schedule. The gas company may need to change your meter, and propane needs a tank set and a regulator.
- 04We file
Step 4: The permit
We draw the site plan, pull the electrical permit with your town or the county, and book the gas permit alongside it. You sign one set of papers.
- 05Inspector, then us
Step 5: The inspection
The inspector looks at the pad, the wiring and the gas. After that we start the unit and run it under load with you watching. It is not left switched on for good until the inspection is done.
Pad, switch, gas, permit and inspection are on your quote as separate lines.
Built for this coast
Set for a coastal lot
On a tidal or barrier-island lot, the height of the pad matters as much as the size of the unit.
We read your flood zone and your survey or elevation certificate with you, then set the pad and the transfer switch against it, not against the neighbor's. Salt air, wind and tall pilings change where things can go, so every site plan is drawn for the lot.
Pad height set against your flood zone
Clearances from windows, doors and the property line
A drawing you can show your HOA or the county
What we do
Three jobs, one crew
We install standby generators and look after them. We don't sell portable units or do general electrical work.
Standby generator install
The whole install, from the site plan to the test under load.
Read about the installTransfer switch and panel
Whole house or essential circuits, wired at your panel.
Read about the switchService and testing
A yearly service and a test under load, for units we installed or didn't.
Read about service
How an install is priced
No prices on this page, because every lot is different. This is what moves the number and when you get it.
What decides the price
Six things move an install more than any other.
The size of the unit, set by a walk through your loads
The run from the pad to the main panel and the gas meter
Natural gas or propane, with a tank, regulator or trenching
Pad height in a flood zone
A whole-house or an essential-circuits transfer switch
Permit and inspection fees, passed through at cost
What the quote includes, and what it doesn't
The quote lists the unit, the pad, the switch, the permit and the inspection on separate lines.
Not included: a meter change the gas company charges for
Not included: tree or fence removal to reach the pad
Not included: HOA or architectural review fees
What happens at the visit
One of us walks the lot, opens the panel, reads the gas meter and adds up the load with you. The site visit has a fee. It comes off the install if you book within 30 days.
How and when you pay
A deposit when you accept the quote, which orders the unit. A second payment when the pad and switch are in. The balance after the inspection and the test under load. Card, check or bank transfer.
When you get the number
In writing, after the site visit and before the permit is filed. It is a fixed price for the work listed on it.
If the job changes
If the site shows something the visit couldn't, like rock under the pad or a panel that can't take the switch, we stop and send you a written change before we do that work.
Your written quote is the price. Nothing on this page is.
Licensed in North Carolina
Whose license is on the work
North Carolina licenses electrical contractors. The number is in the footer of every page, and you can look it up yourself.
License
Electrical ContractorVerify
NC Lic. 000000 · North Carolina State Board of Examiners of Electrical Contractors
Licensed by the state to contract for electrical work. The class sets the size of job; the board's lookup shows it.
Generator dealer program
Brands we install
Each brand's dealer program and dealer number are listed here and on your quote, so you can check them with the maker.
Who does the gas
A licensed gas fitter
We schedule the fitter, the gas permit and the meter visit with your gas company, and we are on site for the final test.
Reviews
From homeowners on the coast
“The power was off for one afternoon while the transfer switch went in, and they had told me which afternoon.”
Felipe O.Homeowner, Hampstead
“I asked about flood height and got a drawing, not a shrug. The unit sits where the survey said it should.”
Stephen D.Homeowner, Carolina Beach
Sample reviews.
Service area
From Topsail to Sunset Beach
New Hanover, Brunswick and Pender counties. If your town isn't listed, send the address and we'll say.
New Hanover County
- Wilmington
- Wrightsville Beach
- Carolina Beach
- Kure Beach
- Castle Hayne
- Ogden
Brunswick County
- Leland
- Belville
- Southport
- Oak Island
- Sunset Beach
Pender County
- Hampstead
- Surf City
- Topsail Beach
- Burgaw
We don't install north of Topsail Beach or south of Sunset Beach, or inland past Burgaw.
ZIP codes: 28401, 28403, 28405, 28409, 28411, 28412, 28428, 28443, 28445, 28451, 28461, 28465
Questions
Questions we get before an install
What size generator do I need?
It depends on what you want running, not on the size of the house. We add up the air handler, the refrigerators, the well or sump pump and the lights you named, then pick a unit with room to spare. A whole-house unit carries nearly everything; a smaller one with an essential-circuits switch carries the list you chose.
Do I need a permit, and who pulls it?
Yes, for a standby generator. We draw the site plan and file the electrical permit with your town or the county, and the gas work has its own permit that we book at the same time. The inspector comes to the house before the unit is put into service.
Will the power be off during the install?
For part of one day, while the transfer switch is wired in at the panel. We tell you the window ahead of time. The pad and the gas work happen with the power on.
Natural gas or propane?
If your street has natural gas, it is usually the simpler fuel: no tank to fill. If it doesn't, propane works with a tank set on your lot. We say which one we'd choose on the first visit and why.
Will it run through a hurricane?
A standby generator is built to run outdoors in bad weather, but nothing is a promise. Flooding, a gas supply that stops or a fault in the unit can all stop it. That is why we set the pad against your flood zone and test the unit under load before we leave.
Are you licensed and insured, and how do I check?
Yes. The license number is in the footer of every page, with a link to the state board's lookup, where you can see the class and status.
Contact
Plan my install
Tell us about the house. We reply by the next working day with a time for a site visit.
Phone(910) 555-0100
Text(910) 555-0101
Hours
- Monday – FridayToday
- 7:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
- Saturday – SundayToday
- Closed