← Standby generator installation bid calculator
Homeowners search that question and come back with one number. It hides everything that actually sets the price: the size of the machine, the length of the feeder, the transfer switch, and whether the fuel line is a short natural-gas tap or a far-yard propane run. A typical 22 kW natural-gas hang beside the house is not a far-yard propane set with a 400 A automatic transfer switch — and neither is what a flat "generator install" quote is pricing.
Open the free standby generator bid calculator
The feeder. Conductor size and run length between the generator and the transfer switch change with distance and amperage, not with a nameplate kW figure alone.
The transfer switch. An automatic transfer switch and a manual one are different equipment costs and different labor. Switch amperage — 100 A versus 400 A — changes both again.
The pad and setback. A precast pad and a poured pad are different costs, and clearance/setback requirements can add labor a "generator hang" line item never carries.
The fuel line. A short natural-gas tap and a far-yard propane run with its own tank placement are not the same trenching and piping job.
The calculator does that arithmetic in your browser. The recommended-kW hint is a starting point, not a NEC 220 or manufacturer load calculation you can stamp or submit — confirm sizing and code compliance with a licensed electrician.
A 22 kW natural-gas unit set on a precast pad beside the house, with a short feeder run to a 100 A automatic transfer switch and an existing gas line nearby, is a common, comparatively quick install. A far-yard placement for the same-size unit — driven by setback or noise requirements — with a longer feeder run, a 400 A ATS for a larger service, and a new propane tank and line, is a different job entirely, often several times the labor and material cost. The calculator prices both from the same inputs and reports dollars per kW so a homeowner's single "how much" number never has to guess which job theirs is.
There is no flat installed price. A typical 22 kW natural-gas hang beside the house is a different job from a far-yard propane set with a 400 A automatic transfer switch. This calculator prices the feeder, the ATS, the pad, the fuel line, and the setback from your own wage and material inputs.
No. Outputs are arithmetic on the numbers you enter. The recommended-kW hint is a starting point, not a NEC 220 or manufacturer load calculation you can stamp or submit.