Cheektowaga & Western New York

When the next Buffalo storm knocks the power out, does your heat stay on?

Around here the grid goes down every winter, and when it does your furnace and your sump pump go with it. A standby generator starts on its own within seconds and keeps the house running. We come look at your setup and tell you straight what size your house actually needs, not the biggest unit on the shelf.

Want us to come take a look? (716) 510-4227

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The quote is the price

Get a free sizing visit.

Tell us about your house. We look at your panel, your gas line, and where a unit would sit, then give you one honest number.

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Standby generator installed on a concrete pad beside a house — A standby unit sits outside like an AC condenser and runs on your gas line. Photo: Ben Paulos (CC BY 2.0)

Why It Matters

A few days with no power is a real problem here.

When the power goes out in the winter, your furnace stops. The house starts cooling right away, and if it stays out for a day or two your pipes are at risk. Your sump pump stops too, so if it is a wet stretch the water starts coming up in the basement. The food in the fridge and the freezer goes bad. If anyone in the house runs medical equipment or needs to keep medication cold, that becomes the first thing you worry about.

This is not a rare event around here. In the December 2022 blizzard, more than 100,000 homes in the region lost power, some of them for days. Forty-seven people died in that storm, 46 of them in Erie County, and 11 people died in their own homes without heat. Most winters bring at least one storm that takes the block down. The question is not whether the power goes out. It is whether your house keeps running when it does.

A portable generator helps for a few things, but you have to be home to start it, you have to feed it gas, and it will not run the furnace and the sump and the well all at once. A standby generator sits outside like an AC unit, runs off your gas line, and starts on its own within seconds of the power dropping. You do not have to be home. You do not have to do anything. The lights, the heat, and the sump just stay on.

No heat, cold house

When the grid drops, the furnace goes with it. In a WNY winter the house cools fast and your pipes are at risk within a day.

Wet basement

Your sump pump stops the moment the power does. During a wet stretch the water starts coming up with nothing holding it back.

Spoiled food and meds

The fridge and freezer warm up, and anything that has to stay cold, including medication, is on the clock the whole outage.

The Offer

You should not be sold the biggest unit on the shelf.

The most common way people overpay on a generator is buying more than their house needs. So we start at your house, not with a price. We come out, look at your panel, look at where your gas line runs, and look at where a unit could sit. Then we tell you straight what size actually covers your house and what it takes to put it in. That visit is free, and there is no pitch. If you decide you do not want to do it, that is the end of it.

If it makes sense to move forward, you get one price, up front, and that is what you pay. The number covers the generator, the transfer switch, the pad, the gas hookup, the permit, and the inspection. If we run into something once we start, we stop and check with you first. No surprise bills. It is done to code and signed off by an independent New York inspector, so it is clean for your file and your insurance. Most installs are a one to two day job.

One thing we check for early: an older 100 amp panel sometimes needs to be upgraded to safely add a whole house generator and its transfer switch. If yours does, you will know that up front, before we give you a number. You can read more about that on the 100 to 200 amp service upgrade page.

Sized for your house

We run a load check on site so you get the size that actually covers you, not an oversized unit that pads the bill.

Permitted and inspected

We pull the permit and an independent New York inspector signs it off. You get the certificate for your file and your insurance.

One clean install

Generator, transfer switch, pad, and gas line, done as one job. Most installs wrap in a day or two.

What It Costs

The honest range for a whole house generator here.

Here is what a standby generator runs installed in the Buffalo suburbs, and what moves the number. You get the exact figure for your house after the free visit, and the quote is the price.

Scenario	Typical installed (WNY)
Whole house standby (about 22kW), installed	$8,000 to $16,000
With a long gas run or a required panel upgrade	$18,000 to $20,000

The lower "average" figures around $8,500 you see online are usually a smaller unit that only covers part of the house, not a whole house standby. The full range above includes the generator, the transfer switch, the pad, the gas hookup, the permit, and the inspection.

What size generator do you need?

Most homes around here are covered by an 18kW to 22kW unit, enough to run the furnace, the sump pump, the fridge, the well or water, and most of the house at once, including central air on many setups. The right size depends on your square footage, whether you have AC, and what you want running during an outage. A bigger house or a "run everything at once" setup pushes you toward the top of that range. We size it at your house so you are not guessing and not overpaying.

What drives the price

Gas line distance. The farther the unit sits from your gas meter, the more line has to be run, and that is one of the biggest swings in the price.
Your panel. An older 100 amp panel may need upgrading to add the generator and transfer switch safely. See the panel upgrade page for what that involves.
Natural gas or propane. If you already have natural gas to the house, the fuel is always there. If not, propane runs off a tank on your property, which adds the tank to the job.
The transfer switch and pad. Every whole house standby needs an automatic transfer switch and a pad or base for the unit to sit on. Both are part of a proper install.

The Quote Is The Price

You approve the number before anything happens, and you never pay for work you didn't sign off on. If we run into something once we start, we stop and check with you first. No surprise bills.

Timing

The best time to put one in is before the storm.

There is no fake countdown here, but there is a real reason not to wait. After a big storm the whole region calls at once, and there is a backlog on units and on installs. If you plan it in the fall, you are ready when the block goes dark instead of waiting weeks in the cold. Getting it in before winter is the whole point.

There is also a small piece worth knowing. Under New York law, if a utility outage of 20,000 or more customers runs 72 consecutive hours, you can claim up to $540 for spoiled food and medication, as long as you file within 14 days. That is real, but it does not keep your heat on or your basement dry. A standby generator does.

Common Questions

Standby generator questions, answered straight.

What size generator do I need for my house?

Most homes around here are covered by an 18kW to 22kW standby unit, enough to run the furnace, the sump pump, the fridge, water, and most of the house at once. The right size depends on your square footage, whether you have central air, and what you want running during an outage. We do a load check at your house and tell you the size you actually need, not the biggest unit on the shelf.

How much does a whole house standby generator cost installed?

A whole house standby unit installed runs about $8,000 to $16,000 in this area, including the generator, the transfer switch, the pad, the gas hookup, the permit, and the inspection. A long gas run or a panel that needs upgrading can push it up toward $18,000 to $20,000. The lower average figures you see online are usually smaller units that only cover part of the house.

Do I need a permit to install a standby generator?

Yes. A standby generator install needs an electrical permit and, because it ties into your gas line, it is done to code and signed off by an independent New York inspector. We pull the permit and handle the paperwork. You get the certificate for your file and your insurance, and you never touch it.

Does a generator need my electrical panel upgraded?

Sometimes. An older 100 amp panel may need to be upgraded to safely add a whole house generator and its transfer switch. We check your panel during the free visit and tell you straight whether it needs work before we give you a number, so there is no surprise once the job starts. You can read more on the panel upgrade page.

How long does a standby generator installation take?

Most installs are a one to two day job once the unit is on site. That covers setting the pad, placing the generator, running the gas line, wiring the transfer switch, and the inspection. After a big storm there is often a backlog, so planning it before winter means you are ready when the block goes dark.

Should I get natural gas or propane for my generator?

If you already have natural gas to the house, that is usually the simplest choice because the fuel is always there and you never refill a tank. If you do not have gas, propane works and runs off a tank on your property. We look at what you have during the visit and tell you which one fits your house.

How much maintenance does a standby generator need?

A standby unit runs a short self test on its own each week and needs a service check about once a year, usually an oil and filter change and a look at the battery and connections. It is light upkeep for a unit that has to start on the first try when you need it. More questions like this are on the FAQ page.

Planning other work on your home?

Want us to come take a look?

Tell us about your house. We look at your panel, your gas line, and where a unit would sit, then give you one honest number before any work starts.