Generator Installation Across British Columbia
Want the power to stay on through an outage? The Wire Guys handles home backup generator installation across British Columbia, sized to the circuits you need running.
4.7 stars across 137 reviews
Licensed Electrical Contractor
Licensed and insured in British Columbia.
WorkSafeBC Registered
Active and in good standing, with continuous coverage since 30 September 2019.
BBB Accredited
Accredited since 2023.
Canadian family owned, working across British Columbia since 2019.
Get a quoteWhat does generator installation involve in British Columbia?
Generator installation in British Columbia means wiring a standby generator into your home through a transfer switch. When BC Hydro power goes out, the circuits you choose move over to it on their own. At The Wire Guys, we do all of the electrical work. If the generator runs on natural gas or propane, a licensed gas fitter makes the fuel connection.
- We can size the generator to only the circuits that matter to you.
- The transfer switch keeps generator power off BC Hydro's lines.
- We take out the electrical permit and meet the inspector.
How does a standby generator work?
The switch takes over when BC Hydro power drops and again when it comes back, even with nobody home.
A standby generator is fixed in place, runs on natural gas or propane, and starts itself. The automatic transfer switch we wire between it and your electrical panel is what makes that possible.
- When the power goes out. The switch senses the outage, starts the generator and moves the circuits you chose over to it.
- When the power comes back. Once BC Hydro power is steady, the switch moves those circuits back. The generator cools down, then shuts itself off.
So your fridge and sump pump keep running even while you are away. A portable generator has to be started and switched over by hand.
One source at a time
What does a generator transfer switch do?
A generator should never be plugged into a wall outlet or a dryer plug in your house. Power can travel back out through your wiring onto BC Hydro's line. This is called backfeeding a generator, and it can electrocute a neighbour or a lineworker who expects that line to be dead. BC Hydro says a CSA-approved transfer switch, an electrical permit and an inspection are required.
- BC Hydro supply
- Transfer switch: one source at a time
- Generator
A transfer switch lets only one source, BC Hydro or the generator, feed the house at a time. We finish the generator transfer switch installation before any generator is connected.
The five questions
How much does standby generator installation cost?
We price the electrical side of a standby generator job at $135 an hour for a Red Seal electrician plus a helper, the same rate day and night. Many jobs have a flat rate. The estimate is free. The total depends on the job, so we look first and give you the quote in writing before any work starts.
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What changes the total:
- How many circuits you keep on in an outage, or the whole house, is the biggest factor.
- The generator size follows from the load calculation on those circuits.
- A standby generator needs an automatic transfer switch, which is part of the price.
- The distance from the generator to your panel sets the length of the wire run.
- A panel with no room for the generator needs work first.
- The licensed gas fitter quotes and bills the gas connection separately.
Generac is one of the brands we install, and a Generac generator installation cost is worked out the same way as any other.
If a generator or switch someone else installed will not move the house over, that is a fault, not a new install. Tracing an electrical fault like that is $165 for a 45-minute diagnostic, which tells you what the problem is and how we are going to fix it.
Whole house generator installation, or just the circuits you need?
Backing up every circuit takes a bigger generator, and that choice sets most of the price.
Whole house. Every circuit moves over in an outage, including the range, the dryer and electric heat, so the generator has to be larger.
Essential circuits. Only what you cannot lose moves over, such as the fridge, the furnace, the sump pump or well pump and a home office, so a smaller generator does the job for less.
Sump pump backup power matters most in a basement that takes on water. On a rural property, keeping the well pump on keeps the water running.
A store, farm shop or strata building needs a commercial standby generator, which we handle as a commercial job.
Do you need a permit to install a generator, and who meets the inspector?
Your address decides whether the electrical permit comes from your city or Technical Safety BC. A gas unit also needs the fitter's gas permit.
Yes. A generator and its transfer switch need an electrical permit, and we apply for it before any work starts, so the paperwork is ours.
If the job is a home in Vancouver, a house in Surrey or a property in Burnaby, the city issues the electrical permit. For electrical work in Abbotsford, jobs around Chilliwack, Mission and Langley, it comes from Technical Safety BC.
When the inspector checks the transfer switch and the generator, we are there.
What size generator do I need for my house?
The right generator size for a house in British Columbia comes from the circuits you want kept running, not from the square footage. We list those circuits with you, run a generator load calculation on them, and the kW size follows from that number. A smaller home with an electric furnace or a well pump can need a bigger generator than a larger home without them.
The same calculation shows whether your panel can take the generator. If it cannot, upgrading the electrical panel comes first. An EV charger at home is a big load to add to the list. We order the unit only once the numbers are done.
Who does what on a generator installation
We do the electrical side. The gas line is a licensed gas fitter's job, and we refer you to one or book one.
- The electrical side. This needs a licensed electrician for generator installation. We install the transfer switch and the generator panel, the small panel that holds only the backed-up circuits, and wire in the unit.
- The gas side. Whether it is a natural gas generator or a propane generator, the gas fitter makes the fuel connection under their own permit. We never do the gas work ourselves.
- The base. A concrete company pours the pad the generator sits on, and we refer you to one.
- A generator you already bought. We install it, and our quote covers only the work to put it in.
A running generator gives off carbon monoxide, which is why it sits outside and why the home needs working carbon monoxide alarms inside.
Our generator installation process
We confirm which circuits you want first. If we find anything unexpected, we talk it through with you and get your approval before any extra work begins.
- 01
We look before we quote. We confirm your circuits and the generator size, then check your panel and where the generator will sit. If something has to be dealt with first, such as old knob and tube wiring, we show you before anything new is connected to it.
- 02
You approve the written quote, and we pull the permit. If the job needs a gas fitter or a concrete pad, they are booked at this stage too.
- 03
We install the transfer switch and the generator panel. We move the circuits you chose onto the generator panel and wire the generator in.
- 04
We test it and show you it works. We run the switch-over with you before we leave, so you see it work.
- 05
The inspection. If an inspection does not pass on our work, we put it right, call the inspector back, and we cover the cost.
What if something is not right with the generator after we leave?
Two signs to watch for: the generator starts but the house does not move over, or a circuit you chose stays dark. If either happens, call us.
If something we installed is not right, we come back.
Call 778-708-0451, tell us what happened, and we put right any part of our work that is causing it.
Our work carries a one-year guarantee on new construction and six months on renovations.
Your generator electrician
The Wire Guys Electrical Ltd. is a licensed electrical contractor serving Abbotsford, Vancouver, Victoria and communities across the Lower Mainland, Fraser Valley and Greater Victoria, handling residential and commercial electrical work for homeowners, landlords and business owners in British Columbia.
We take generator jobs across the Fraser Valley, from homes in Mission to properties in Langley, and on Vancouver Island at homes around Victoria.
We are a licensed electrical contractor in British Columbia, licensed and insured.
What our customers say
Word for word from our public Google profile, from a customer who had a generator installed.
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Jas went above and beyond installing our automatic natural gas powered generator and sump pump electrical installation. Personable, efficient, knowledgeable and went the extra mile in explaining and getting things done. Highly recommend him and his team!
Frequently asked questions
Generators are one part of the full range of electrical work we do.
We answer the phone at any hour. If the power is out and something cannot wait, call our emergency electrician line.
Any questions? Call 778-708-0451 Can I install a generator myself?
Only if you own and live in a fully detached house in British Columbia, where you may take out a homeowner permit for the wiring. Everyone else, including strata and duplex owners, needs a licensed contractor to pull the permit. Any gas generator also needs a licensed gas fitter.
Do I need a transfer switch for a generator?
Yes. Any generator that feeds your house wiring needs one, so it cannot send power back onto BC Hydro's lines. A standby generator uses an automatic transfer switch, and a portable one uses a manual transfer switch you flip yourself. If you inherited a generator with no switch, have it checked first.
What is the cheapest way to hook up a generator to your house?
The lowest-cost setup is usually a portable generator connected through a generator inlet box outside and a manual transfer switch inside, and we install both. The switch powers only the circuits you wire to it. A generator interlock kit is another option where one is approved for your panel.
Is a whole house generator worth it?
It depends on what an outage costs you. If it means a flooded basement, no well water, no heat or a dark home office, a whole house generator can be worth it. If only a few circuits matter, backing up just those costs less.
How much does a whole house generator cost installed?
The installed cost has four parts: the generator, our electrical work, the gas fitter's bill and the concrete pad. Our part depends mostly on how many circuits you back up and how far the generator sits from your panel. We put it in writing once we have seen both.
How long does it take to install a generator?
It depends mostly on how many circuits you back up, whether your panel needs work first, and when the gas fitter, the pad, the permit and the inspection can be booked. A few essential circuits go faster than a whole house job with panel work. We tell you which applies when we look.
Why is my final bill higher than the electrician's quote?
A final bill ends up higher when the job changed after it was priced. A quote is priced on what we can see, and if the scope changes, we tell you before we do it, not after. On a generator job, that is usually something behind a wall or more circuits backed up.
We have held WorkSafeBC coverage continuously since 30 September 2019 — ask anyone else you call for the same before you let them in.
Have this ready when you call:
- Tell us which circuits you want kept on, or whether you want the whole house.
- Tell us whether the generator runs on natural gas or propane.
- Say where you want the generator and how far that is from your panel.
- Send us a photo of the breaker labels in your panel door.
- If you already have a generator, tell us its make and size.
Other electrical services we offer
Same licence on every one of them, with the permit and inspection wherever one applies.
Talk to us about your generator
Call 778-708-0451 to book a free estimate for your generator installation. Tracing a fault on a generator someone else installed is $165 for a 45-minute diagnostic.