Transfer switch and panel
The switch that decides where your power comes from
The transfer switch is what lets a generator run the house safely. It is wired at your panel or at the meter, and it is the part the inspector looks at most closely.
It disconnects the house from the grid before the generator connects, so power never flows back onto the line. We choose it with you, then wire it, label it and show you how it works.
Whole house or essential circuits
Labeled at the panel
Wired by our licensed electricians
Two ways to wire it
Whole house, or the circuits that matter
Both are safe when installed to the permit. They differ in unit size and in what stays on.
Whole house
Every circuit in the house stays on, and you don't choose in the dark.
Needs a larger unit
Suits houses with electric heat or two air handlers
One switch at the meter or main panel
Essential circuits
A smaller unit carries the circuits you chose: refrigerators, lights, the air handler, a pump.
A subpanel holds the chosen circuits
A smaller unit and a smaller pad
You can add circuits later, within the unit's size
What the work includes
What the switch visit includes
The switch is one part of the install, and it can be done on its own for a unit you already own.
- 01
Step 1: Panel check
We open the panel and check its space, its rating and its grounding before we plan the switch.
- 02
Step 2: Choose and label
We pick the switch and, for essential circuits, label the circuits that move to the subpanel.
- 03
Step 3: Permit
We file the electrical permit for the switch.
- 04
Step 4: Power off, switch in
The power is off for part of one day while the switch is wired. We tell you the window ahead of time.
- 05
Step 5: Inspection and test
The inspector looks at the work, then we run a transfer test with you there.
Questions
Questions about this job
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.
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.
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.
Planning around a unit you own?
Send a photo of the panel and the unit's label by text. We'll say what the switch would involve.