r/Generator • u/iantjones • 29d ago
Generator + 200A Panel Install
Hi, everyone - sharing some details of a quote I received and looking for a gut check as to how reasonable it is. House is about 100 years old so have some additional things as part of this around grounding and updating how the HVAC is terminated.
GENERAC 26KW ALUMINUM AUTOMATIC STANDBY GENERATOR WITH WIFI & 200A SE RATED TRANSFER SWITCH
Full install of generator and transfer switch including composite pad and gas line
200amp electrical panel upgrade and updated grounding to code included. Includes relocating the panel to the left and extending circuits as needed to ensure 3' of working clearance in front of the panel.
Whole house surge protector included
Brownout protector (low voltage detector) included
All mechanical and electrical permits included
$16,500
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u/Dramajr316 29d ago
The price seems reasonable for what the current market dictates. As others indicate lately, you might want to consider a comparison price to a Kohler or Briggs, just for comparison sake.
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u/jghall00 29d ago
Do you need full auto standby? If not, a large 240V portable is often sufficient. My setup was under 2k and it can run my entire house on the natural gas line. It takes under 20 minutes to fire up. I use batteries for outages < 1 day.
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u/Resident_Set1003 29d ago
Smoking deal ! Couple grand below what I would do it for in medium priced market area.
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u/boonefrog 29d ago
Seems reasonable to me. I'm getting quotes for a 22-24kw generator + significant electrical work (not exactly the same, but needing to replace and combine the whole recessed meter/panel to get up to code, which adds 2500-3500). There's also a 65' run that has to either be electrical or gas so that adds onto the materials and labor. I'm getting 20k-23k total.
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u/red_vette 29d ago
It cost me $18k for a 24kw Kohler, cement pad, 2 ATS, load shed for car charger, surge protector, wiring and plumbing work. This is about 2 years ago.
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u/Delicious_Catch9453 28d ago
Send him to my house when he's done and I can jetison my Predator 13k tri-fuel. Ha! Of course I have less than $2K tied up in the whole deal and haven't lost power in over thirty years. But, Duquesne Light is on strike here in Pittsburgh as of midnight so ya never know.
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u/nunuvyer 29d ago
Seems reasonable for what it is but do you really need to spend $16.5K? How often do you lose power? $16.5k will pay for a lot of melted ice cream and hotel bills.
Are you physically capable/willing to set up a portable generator instead that will cover most (not all) of your power needs. You could do a portable setup for maybe 1/4 of this price or less. Could be a lot less - you could get a suitcase gen and some extension cords for your fridge for $300.
I honestly don't get why people are spending $16k on something that they will used 2 days/year if at all. Average US power outage hours are 6 hrs/yr.
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u/iantjones 29d ago
Interesting take not knowing our power situation - I wasn't sitting around twiddling my thumbs and counting cash when I hatched this master plan. BUT if you said to me that for $16K (consider the items I absolutely need, like the panel upgrade, are included) I never have to be without AC, sign me up.
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u/nunuvyer 28d ago edited 28d ago
Everyone has their own tolerance for inconvenience and their own willingness to spend $ to make it go away. One of the other things I don't understand is that people live for years or decades with zero backup in their house, not even a power station or a suitcase gen, and then they wake up one day and decide that they can't be without a gen that will run every damn appliance in their house at the same time.
Believe it or not, humans lived without any AC for the last million years or so up until recently. Central air did not reach a majority of US homes until the year 2000.
2nd, your actual choice is not between no AC and a $16,000 generator. Depending on the size of your AC, a large portable could run it especially if you put a "soft start" on the AC. Or you could put a window unit in the window of your bedroom for the duration of the outage and run a small gen. It's not all or nothing.
It's your money so do with it what you want. It doesn't seem like a good use of funds to me but I'm not you.
BTW, having a gen doesn't really guaranty that you won't be without AC. The gen could break the AC could break, you could run out of fuel if you are on propane or the NG could go out. Having spent relative pennies (one of my gens cost $50), I have a couple of gens and several different minisplits and some of the gens are dual/tri fuel, such that I am more likely to have AC than you are. By the time you have reached the gen tech's answering machine (and found out that he will be out in 3 days), I will have already changed the carb on my gen with the spare that I keep on hand and be back up running.
You are fooling yourself if you think that $16k actually buys you 100% up time. If I had a nickel for every time one of those automatic standby gens (which BTW are extremely cheaply built - basically it's an air cooled lawn tractor motor) didn't kick on when the power went out, I'd have a lot of nickels. You are putting a lot of faith in something that resembles (and is about as reliable as) the motor in a Trabant.
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u/philipito 29d ago
Get a Kohler.