Backup Generators, an outage you sleep through
It usually starts with a freezer you had to empty after the last outage. The hard part is not the work - it is that every generator company sounds equally sure of itself, and you get one guess. We check licence and insurance before we introduce anyone, and we record the date we checked.
See who is actually qualified near you
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Backup Generators in short
Backup generator services cover four separate jobs: sizing and selling the unit, the electrical work (transfer switch, wiring, sometimes a panel change), the fuel work (natural gas or propane piping), and ongoing maintenance. A whole-house standby install averages about $5,090 nationally and commonly lands between roughly $1,524 and $8,658 depending on size and site, per Bob Vila's 2026 cost data. Installation labor alone typically runs $1,500 to $5,000.
A whole-house standby generator averages about $5,090 installed nationally, with a typical range of roughly $1,524 to $8,658, per Bob Vila's 2026 cost data. The generator itself runs about $2,000-$3,500 at 7.5-10 kW, $4,000-$5,500 at 14-18 kW and $5,000-$6,500 at 20-24 kW. Installation labor adds $1,500-$5,000, transfer switch labor about $1,200, and permits $50-$200 each.
Explore Backup Generators
Everything we publish on backup generators, grouped the way homeowners actually search - not the way a company would organise it.
- Services 9 services - replacement, repair, and specialty work 9 pages
- Cost What backup generators actually costs in 2026, by type and by city 163 pages
- Problems Something wrong? Start here 6 pages
- Comparisons Option A vs. B, compared honestly 3 pages
- Guides In-depth guides on backup generators, written and reviewed by pros 4 pages
- Tools Estimate your project cost in under a minute 6 pages
- Brands 6 backup generators brands, compared on price and warranty 6 pages
- Decision Guides Which option is actually right for your home 3 pages
- Checklists Step-by-step checklists before you hire 4 pages
- Emergency Something urgent? What to do in the next hour 1 page
- Maintenance Keep it working - schedules and upkeep 1 page
- Equipment Equipment guides and specifications 5 pages
- Financing Ways to pay over time, and what they really cost 1 page
- Seasonal When to book, and what each season changes 1 page
- Permits Permit rules and what they cost 1 page
- Insurance What insurance covers, and what it does not 1 page
- Warranties What the warranty actually covers 1 page
- Research The data behind our recommendations 4 pages
- FAQ Answers to the most common backup generators questions 1 page
- Glossary Backup generators terms explained in plain English 6 pages
- AI Tools Describe the problem, get a plain-English answer 1 page
How a pro gets in front of you
Most sites sell your number to whoever pays the most for it. We do not - your details reach only the generator companies matched to your job. We are building licence and insurance checks on top of that, and we will publish each one with the date it was performed rather than claim it in advance.
A few pros, never a list
Your details go to the small number of local companies matched to your job, and to nobody else. They are not sold on.
No paid placement
A company cannot buy a better position in a match or in our rankings. Where we rank, the method is published so you can re-score it yourself.
Check the licence yourself
Ask for the number and look it up on your state board’s public register. We are building this into the match; it is not running yet.
Ask the insurer, not the contractor
Get liability and workers’ compensation certificates sent to you by the insurance agency direct. A forwarded PDF proves nothing about today.
What backup generators usually costs
Ranges, with the source and the date underneath. Anyone quoting you a single national number is guessing, and you should know enough to notice.
No verified backup generators price ranges published yet.
We don’t publish a cost until we can show the data behind it. If you need a
number today, the quote form gives you real prices from local companies.
HomeMatchup vs. a lead site vs. doing it yourself
Three ways to get this work done. Here’s what each one actually gives you.
| HomeMatchup | Typical lead site | DIY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| How many companies call you | A short, named shortlist you agreed to | Often 4-5+ at once, sold to whoever buys the lead | None - the work is on you |
| Licence & insurance | Self-reported today - we tell you how to check it and are building the check in | Usually self-reported by the contractor | Your own permits and liability |
| What it costs you | Free - pros pay us, and only for a real match | Free, but your number is resold | Materials plus your time |
| Price guidance before you talk | Published ranges with the data behind them | Rarely shown before you hand over details | You research it yourself |
| If it goes wrong | A named company, and a record of who received your job | Hard to trace which site sold the lead | No recourse |
Describes how HomeMatchup operates and the common lead-generation model. Not a claim about any named competitor.
What people say after they’ve hired
We’d rather show you nothing than show you someone else’s reviews.
Plenty of sites fill this space with reviews scraped from elsewhere, or written for them. We don’t. The first backup generators review on this page will come from a homeowner we matched, after their work was finished and paid for.
- Only from homeowners we actually matched
- Only after the job is complete
- Published unedited, including the bad ones
- 1You get matchedA few checked pros, free
- 2Work gets doneCheck their licence and insurance first
- 3We ask youOnce, after completion
- 4It appears hereExactly as you wrote it
Backup Generators questions, answered
The questions homeowners ask us most about backup generators.
Backup Generators equipment
The equipment you'll actually be choosing between.
The wrong generator hire costs more than the right one.
A generator is bought for a day that has not happened yet. Undersized or badly installed, it fails on exactly that day. Getting matched takes about a minute, costs nothing, and you can walk away from every quote you receive.
Free · No obligation · Only your matched pros get your details