Whole house generator installers in California
Power, cost, permits & sizing ↓California
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239 California companies install and service home standby generators, including 67 generator specialists and factory-authorized dealers. Company and brand details come from each company's own website — for warranty work, confirm current dealer status with the manufacturer directly.
239 companies
Generator specialists (20)
A Wiring Man Generator specialist
Affordable Generator Services Generator specialist
Air Cooled Engine Generator specialist
American Power Corporation Generator specialist
Backup Generators California Generator specialist
Duthie Power Services Generator specialist ✓ Licensed
Generator Services Generator specialist
Generator Supercenter of Inland Empire Generator specialist
Generators San Diego Generator specialist
Golden State Power Solutions Generator specialist
LT Generators Generator specialist
LUX Generators Generator specialist
North American Power & Controls Generator specialist
OnPoint Generators Generator specialist
PowerGen, Inc. Generator specialist
PowerPlus Generator Generator specialist
San Diego Generator Service Generator specialist
San Luis Powerhouse Generator specialist
SDP Power Services Generator specialist
South Coast Generator & Tractor Service LLC Generator specialist
Electrical contractors that install generators (132)
2911 Contractors LLC Electrical contractor
3G Electric Electrical contractor
49er Electric Electrical contractor
A&G Electric Electrical contractor
ABC Electric Electrical contractor
Addy Solar & Electric Electrical contractor
Advanced Electric Services Inc Electrical contractor
All American Electric Electrical contractor
Altos Electric Inc. Electrical contractor
American Electric Co Electrical contractor
Americano Electrical Solutions LLC Electrical contractor
Amp Champ Electric Electrical contractor
Applied Electric Inc. Electrical contractor
ASAP Electric Inc. Electrical contractor
Avant Electric Inc. Electrical contractor
Aztec Electric Renewables Electrical contractor
Bella Electric San Diego Electrical contractor
Ben Hernandez Electrical Inc Electrical contractor
Big Bear Electric Pros Electrical contractor
Blue Volt Electric Electrical contractor
Blum & Sons Electric, Inc. Electrical contractor
Brentwood Electrical Contractors Electrical contractor
Cali Coast Electric Electrical contractor
Cali Rollin Electric Electrical contractor
Carter Services Electrical contractor
Christman Electrical Contracting Electrical contractor
Copperfield Electric Electrical contractor
Cronus Service Electrical contractor
Dalcon Electric Electrical contractor
DaneCo Electric Electrical contractor
David Electric LLC Electrical contractor
DCP Electric Electrical contractor
Divine Electric and Plumbing Electrical contractor
Dollens Electric Electrical contractor
Dorn Electric, Inc Electrical contractor
East Bay Electrician Services Electrical contractor
EFI Electric (E. Fitzgerald Inc.) Electrical contractor
Egan Electric Electrical contractor
EJ Home Services Electrical contractor
Electrical ASAP Electrical contractor
Electrical Insight Electrical contractor
Elite Electrical Services Electrical contractor
Firebrand Electric Electrical contractor
Five or Free Electrical Heating and Air Solutions Electrical contractor
FixaCal Electrical contractor
Flores Electric Electrical contractor
Full Service Electric LLC Electrical contractor
GenJazz Electric Electrical contractor
Gill's Electric Electrical contractor
Gordon Electrical Service Electrical contractor
Gravity Electric Electrical contractor
Green Electric Solutions Electrical contractor
Grid Titans Electrical contractor
Griffin Electric, Inc. Electrical contractor
Gubruds Services Electrical contractor
Hanson Electric Electrical contractor
Henderson Electric Electrical contractor
Homeland Electric Inc Electrical contractor
Hunt's Electrical Contracting Electrical contractor
Industrial Electrical Company (IEC) Electrical contractor
Integrity Electric Electrical contractor
Jackson Electric Inc. Electrical contractor
Jake Electric Electrical contractor
JG Electric, Inc. Electrical contractor
John K. McCraw Electrical, LLC Electrical contractor
K & E Electric Inc Electrical contractor
Karmic Electrical Electrical contractor
Keil Electric Electrical contractor
KOL Electric Electrical contractor
L & M Electric Electrical contractor
Lake Arrowhead Electrical Electrical contractor
Legacy Electric Electrical contractor
LG Electric Electrical contractor
Light Of This World Electric Corp. Electrical contractor
M B ELECTRIC Electrical contractor
Magic Sun Electric Electrical contractor
Mauzy Cooling, Heating, Plumbing & Electrical Electrical contractor
Maverick Electric, Heating & Air Electrical contractor
MaxElectric Electrical contractor
McKee Electrical Contracting LLC Electrical contractor
McKinnon Electric Electrical contractor
Mercy Electric Electrical contractor
Monkey Wrench Plumbing, Heating, Air & Electric Electrical contractor
Monsters Electric Electrical contractor
Mr. Electric of San Jose Electrical contractor
New Tahoe Electric Electrical contractor
Nexel Electric Electrical contractor
Norcal Electric & Pump Work Electrical contractor
OHMS ELECTRIC Electrical contractor
Optimal Electric, LLC Electrical contractor
Optimum Energy Services Electrical contractor
Owens Electric & Solar Electrical contractor
Peach Electric Electrical contractor
Powell Electric Electrical contractor
Premo Electric Electrical contractor
RB Electrical Service Electrical contractor
Reed Electric Electrical contractor
Reyff Electric Inc. Electrical contractor
Rocky Hill Electric Electrical contractor
RR Electric, Heating & Air Electrical contractor
S&B Electric Electrical contractor
Santa Barbara Sparky Electrical contractor
Sbrega Electric Electrical contractor
SD Electric Technologies Electrical contractor
Seidel Electrical Services Electrical contractor
Service One Electric Electrical contractor
Shaffer Construction, Inc. Electrical contractor
Sigal Utility Services Electrical contractor
Skylight Electrical Service Electrical contractor
SLO County Modern Electric Inc. Electrical contractor
SoCal Electrical & Lighting Electrical contractor
Sonner Electric Electrical contractor
Sonoma Sun Electric INC. Electrical contractor
SonoMarin Solar & Electric Electrical contractor
Summit Technology Group Electrical contractor
Sun Up Electric Electrical contractor
System Wide Services Electrical contractor
Temecula Electrician Electrical contractor
Tested and True Electric Electrical contractor
The Electric Connection Electrical contractor
Theos Electric Electrical contractor
Thousand Oaks Electric Electrical contractor
Towers EC Electrical contractor
Turner Electric, Inc. Electrical contractor
Volta Electric Electrical contractor
Watt Electric Inc. Electrical contractor
WCI Electric Electrical contractor
Wells Electrical, Inc. Electrical contractor
Wicks Roofing and Solar Electrical contractor
Wilson Electric Electrical contractor
Wooding Electric Electrical contractor
Yotta Electrical Services Electrical contractor
HVAC & plumbing contractors that install generators (40)
ABLE Plumbing (Able Home Services) HVAC / plumbing contractor
AirWorks Solutions HVAC / plumbing contractor
AirWorks Solutions, Inc. HVAC / plumbing contractor
All City Plumbing, Air & Electrical HVAC / plumbing contractor
All Pro Cooling, Heating, Plumbing & Electrical HVAC / plumbing contractor
Allbritten HVAC / plumbing contractor
Antey HVAC and Air Conditioning HVAC / plumbing contractor
Bonney Plumbing, Heating, and Air HVAC / plumbing contractor
Brower Mechanical HVAC / plumbing contractor
Burgeson's HVAC / plumbing contractor
California Energy Services (CES) HVAC / plumbing contractor
California Renewable Energy HVAC / plumbing contractor
Climate & Energy Solutions HVAC / plumbing contractor
Comfort Bros Heating, Air, Plumbing & Electrical HVAC / plumbing contractor
Conejo Services HVAC / plumbing contractor
Feather River Aire Heating & Cooling HVAC / plumbing contractor
Fuse Service HVAC / plumbing contractor
Green Air Heating and Air Conditioning, Inc. HVAC / plumbing contractor
Heise's Plumbing HVAC / plumbing contractor
Homepatible HVAC / plumbing contractor
Honey's Air & Solar HVAC / plumbing contractor
Integrity Heating, Air & Solar HVAC / plumbing contractor
Jonas Energy Solutions HVAC / plumbing contractor
JW Hanson Heating and Air Conditioning HVAC / plumbing contractor
KC Home Services HVAC / plumbing contractor
Lewis Air Services HVAC / plumbing contractor
Magnolia Heating & Cooling HVAC / plumbing contractor
Mountain Service Company HVAC / plumbing contractor
NEXGEN Air & Plumbing HVAC / plumbing contractor
Ongaro & Sons HVAC / plumbing contractor
Pacific Coast Home Services HVAC / plumbing contractor
Personal Plumbing, Heating & Air HVAC / plumbing contractor
Purl's Sheet Metal & Air Conditioning HVAC / plumbing contractor
Quality Sheet Metal Heating & Air Inc HVAC / plumbing contractor
Queirolo's Heating & Air Conditioning, Inc. HVAC / plumbing contractor
Service Champions HVAC / plumbing contractor
Sierra Pacific Home & Comfort, Inc. HVAC / plumbing contractor
T & G Roofing and Solar Company, Inc HVAC / plumbing contractor
Valley Heating, Cooling, Electrical and Solar HVAC / plumbing contractor
Wighton's Electric, Plumbing, Heating, and Air Conditioning HVAC / plumbing contractor
Power in California
California's outages are deliberate as often as they're accidental: to keep power lines from sparking wildfires on hot, windy days, PG&E, Southern California Edison, and SDG&E shut the grid off on purpose — Public Safety Power Shutoffs that can darken whole counties for days, sometimes several times a fall. Add the wildfires themselves, Flex Alerts when a heat dome pushes demand past supply, and an aging grid, and a lot of California homes now lose power on a schedule nobody controls. Unlike a home battery, which runs out in hours, a whole-house standby generator starts itself within seconds of a shutoff and carries the refrigerator, well pump, medical equipment, AC, and Wi-Fi for as long as a multi-day PSPS lasts.
Generator permits & codes in California
- Who issues permits
- Your city or county building department — state law (Health & Safety Code § 17960) puts enforcement of the statewide building code in local hands, so process and fees vary town to town. The electrical work takes a CSLB C-10 electrical contractor; running the fuel-gas line falls under C-36 plumbing.
- Typical permit cost
- Set by each city, often as flat per-item fees: San Diego prices a standby generator's electrical permit at $176.57, with a panel upgrade or new circuits each adding a similar flat fee. Other cities price by valuation, so the same job can cost a few hundred dollars more across a city line.
- Timeline
- Varies by city: routine residential electrical permits are often issued over the counter or online — Los Angeles handles them as express permits without plan check — but a system formally classed as an emergency or legally required standby system triggers plan review in L.A.
- Code in force
- 2025 California Electrical Code (Title 24, Part 3), based on the 2023 NEC, in force statewide since January 1, 2026 — alongside the 2025 California Building Code.
- Major utilities
- PG&E (Northern and Central California), Southern California Edison, and SDG&E. All three run Public Safety Power Shutoff programs that de-energize lines on purpose during fire weather, and PG&E and SDG&E both run generator rebate programs.
- Worth knowing
- There can be a second permit nobody mentions: CARB tells owners of any stationary generator over 50 horsepower to check with the regional air district (SCAQMD, BAAQMD, and peers) for permitting, and diesel standby engines that size are further restricted by the state's diesel toxics rule. Typical residential natural-gas units sit below the threshold — one reason large diesel units are rare in California backyards.
Common questions about whole house generators in California
How much does a standby generator cost installed in California?
For a typical California home, expect roughly $10,000–$16,000 all-in
for a whole-house air-cooled standby generator (about 18–26 kW):
the unit, the automatic transfer switch, a pad, gas or propane piping,
electrical work, and permits — California labor and permit costs run
above the national average. Partial-home units (10–14 kW) covering
essentials can land in the $7,000–$10,000 range. Liquid-cooled units
for large homes run past $20,000. Fuel matters: natural gas is cheapest
where a line is available; much of wildfire country runs on propane,
which needs a tank. One advantage of natural gas here — in a Public
Safety Power Shutoff the gas usually keeps flowing, so the unit runs
straight through.
Do I need a permit to install a generator in California?
Yes. A standby generator installation needs an electrical permit (and
usually a mechanical/gas permit) from your city or county building
department, followed by inspection, and California requires the
electrical work to be done by a licensed contractor — a CSLB C-10
electrical contractor, or a C-46 solar/energy-storage or B general
contractor doing the work. Local rules add wrinkles: setback and noise
limits, air-district rules in some counties, and HOA or
wildland-urban-interface siting requirements. A reputable installer
pulls the permits as part of the job; treat one who suggests skipping
them as a red flag. On the profiles here, a license we've confirmed
against CSLB's records carries a verified badge — status, expiration,
and classification, with a link to the state record.
What size generator do I need?
The honest answer is a load calculation, which any good installer
performs during the site visit. As a rough guide: essentials only
(well pump, fridge, furnace or one AC zone, some lights) fits in
10–14 kW; a typical whole house with central AC runs 18–26 kW;
larger homes with multiple AC units, a pool, a well, or an EV charger
need more. If your outage risk is multi-day PSPS events, size for
running the whole time, not just a few hours — and it's worth asking
whether a battery-and-solar setup fits better than, or alongside, a
fuel generator.
Generac, Kohler, Cummins, or Briggs & Stratton — does the brand matter?
All four build reliable home standby units; what matters more is the
installer and the service relationship afterward. Generac has by far
the largest California dealer network, which means parts and warranty
techs are easy to find; Kohler and Cummins have strong dealers across
the major metros. A factory-authorized dealer can handle warranty work
on its brand — worth weighing when brands otherwise look similar. Use
the brand pages here to see who installs and services each brand near
you.
How long does installation take?
The on-site work is usually one to two days once the unit is in hand:
set the pad and unit, run gas and electrical, mount the transfer
switch, and commission. The calendar time is longer — site visit,
quote, permits, and (in the rush before fire season, or right after a
big PSPS event) unit availability can stretch the process to several
weeks. Ordering ahead of fire season beats competing for a generator
the week after your county goes dark.
What maintenance does a standby generator need?
Annual service — oil and filter, spark plugs on schedule, battery
check, and a load test — plus the weekly self-test the unit runs on
its own. In California you especially want the unit proven before fire
season, not during it, with the battery and cooling system watched in
the heat. Many California installers listed here offer maintenance
plans, and several service brands they don't sell. Neglected
maintenance is the most common reason a generator fails to start when
the grid goes down.