Generator Installation Cost
Installing a whole-home standby generator costs $6,000–$11,000 for most houses — up to $24,000 for big homes with long hookup runs. Price your size, hookup, and fuel, permits included.
Three things set a standby generator bill: your home's size, which fixes the kilowatts; the hookup — how far the pad sits from your panel and gas meter decides whether installation is routine or a trenching project; and the fuel, where natural gas taps a line you already have and propane brings its own tank.
Which is closest to your home?
Home size sets the generator's kilowatt rating — the capacity to run your whole house, not just the essentials. In between? Expect to land between the tiers.
How's the hookup?
Standard means the generator pad sits near your electrical panel and gas meter. Long runs — a pad far from the panel, trenching for conduit or gas pipe, or a 20+ kW system — can double the installation labor. Your installer's site visit settles this.
Natural gas or propane?
Natural gas taps your existing line — no storage, no refills. Propane is the answer where there's no gas service; it stores indefinitely and burns clean, but needs a storage tank installed.
Cost to install a 17–20 kW whole-home standby generator
$7,080–$11,450
generator, wiring and gas hookup, automatic transfer switch, and permits — it starts itself when the grid drops
What's inside the installation number
The install is three trades in one visit: an electrician wiring the generator to your panel through an automatic transfer switch ($600–$2,500 of the job) — the brain that flips your house to generator power in seconds — a gas fitter running the fuel line, and the site work (a concrete pad runs $150–$400). Distance is the multiplier: wiring runs $6–$8 per foot and gas line $12–$50, so a pad placed far from the panel and meter turns hookup into trenching.
Budget the ownership, not just the install
A standby generator lasts 15–30 years, needs $200–$650 a year in maintenance (inspection, oil, filters — it's an engine), and costs real money to run during outages: $30–$170 per day depending on fuel and load. Our generator runtime calculator prices that side. The payoff bundle: whole-home power that starts itself, and a documented backup system that helps at resale.
Standard installs assume the pad sits near the panel and gas meter; long runs, trenching, and 20+ kW liquid-cooled systems land in the complex column. Electricians run $40–$130/hour within the install band. Homes past 5,000 sq ft need 30–48 kW systems ($10,000–$16,000 for the unit alone) — beyond this calculator. Portable generators with a transfer switch ($900–$3,800 all-in) are the budget alternative that powers essentials, not everything.
💡About this calculator▼
Every long outage mints a new wave of generator shoppers — and the standby generator market rewards the ones who arrive knowing its three price levers: how big a system your home needs, how far the machine sits from your utilities, and what it will burn.
The size lever is your square footage: a 13–16 kW unit backs up a full home under 1,500 sq ft ($3,000–$4,500 for the generator), 17–20 kW covers 1,500–3,000 sq ft ($4,000–$6,000), and 22–25 kW handles 3,000–5,000 sq ft ($4,500–$12,000, with liquid-cooled models at the top). On top of the unit comes installation at $3,000–$5,000 for a standard hookup — electrician, gas fitter, automatic transfer switch, concrete pad — which lands most homes at $6,000–$11,000 all-in.
The lever people don't see coming is distance. Wiring runs dollars per foot and gas line more; a pad placed across the yard from your panel and meter turns hookup into trenching, and complex installs run $5,000–$12,000 in labor alone — pushing big-home projects toward $24,000.
Fuel is the simplest fork: natural gas taps the line you already have, no storage, no refills; propane is the answer beyond the gas grid and adds a storage tank at $400–$1,800.
Price your configuration below — permits included, and with the honest reminder that installation is only the entry fee: this machine also costs money to feed and maintain, which our generator runtime calculator prices.
Home size picks the generator, the site picks the labor, and the fuel decides the extras.
The unit. Standby generators size in kilowatts, and coverage follows the published ladder: 13–16 kW fully backs a home under 1,500 sq ft, 17–20 kW covers 1,500–3,000, and 22–25 kW handles 3,000–5,000 — with unit prices of $3,000–$4,500, $4,000–$6,000, and $4,500–$12,000 respectively. (Estates past 5,000 sq ft step up to 30–48 kW commercial-class units at $10,000–$16,000 before labor.)
The installation. A standard install — pad near the panel and gas meter — runs $3,000–$5,000 and bundles the trades: the electrician ($40–$130/hour) wiring through an automatic transfer switch ($600–$2,500 of the job), the gas hookup, and the concrete pad ($150–$400). Long runs change the math: wiring at $6–$8 per foot and gas line at $12–$50 per foot mean a distant pad, trenching, or a 20+ kW system lands in the complex column at $5,000–$12,000 — which is how a large home's total legitimately reaches $24,000.
The fuel fork. Natural gas connects to your existing service and never needs refilling. Propane — the off-gas-grid answer — stores indefinitely and burns clean, but adds tank installation at $400–$1,800. Diesel units exist ($5,000–$18,000) mostly for very large loads.
Permits run $80–$450 and ride on every job.
📐How it's calculated▼
Total = generator + installation + propane tank (if propane) + permits.
Generator by home size: under 1,500 sq ft → 13–16 kW → $3,000–$4,500 · 1,500–3,000 → 17–20 kW → $4,000–$6,000 · 3,000–5,000 → 22–25 kW → $4,500–$12,000.
Installation: standard hookup $3,000–$5,000 · long runs / complex / 20+ kW $5,000–$12,000+.
Fuel: natural gas adds nothing; propane adds the $400–$1,800 storage tank.
Permits: $80–$450.
Cross-checks against the published totals: a typical home at standard hookup = $6,000–$11,000 installed (their headline), and a big home with a complex install = $9,500–$24,000 (their long-distance column) — this calculator reproduces both. Component reality inside the install: automatic transfer switch $600–$2,500, wiring $6–$8/ft, gas line $12–$50/ft, concrete pad $150–$400.
🔍Finding your inputs▼
Which is closest to your home? The tiers back up the *whole* house — every circuit, not a hand-picked few. If you're between sizes, the load that decides is usually air conditioning: big AC compressors are the hungriest startup load in the house, and your installer's load calculation will size around them. Undersizing a standby generator buys you a machine that trips exactly when everything's running.
How's the hookup? Walk your yard: where would the pad go (it needs clearances from windows and property lines — often what forces distant placements), and how far is that from your electrical panel and gas meter? Pad-beside-the-meter is standard; pad-across-the-yard means conduit and gas pipe by the foot, often trenched. The installer's site visit settles it — but knowing the question keeps the first quote honest.
Natural gas or propane? If you have gas service, take it — no storage, no refills, runs as long as the utility does. Propane is the answer beyond the gas grid: it stores for years without degrading (diesel doesn't), burns clean, and the tank is a one-time $400–$1,800. Size the tank for your outage philosophy — multi-day storms want big tanks.
⚠️Special situations▼
My gas meter is too small for a big generator
Common on 20+ kW installs: standby generators drink gas faster than a furnace, and the existing meter and service line may not deliver the required flow with everything else running. The utility usually upsizes the meter free or cheaply, but it's a scheduling step that can add weeks — have the installer calculate total gas load and file with the utility early, not after the pad is poured.
There's no natural gas on my street
You're a propane install: add the $400–$1,800 tank (buried tanks cost more but disappear visually), size it for multi-day outages, and set up a keep-full arrangement with a propane supplier. The operating trade: propane costs more per kilowatt-hour than utility gas, which matters in long outages — our runtime calculator compares the fuels' burn costs directly.
Can I just get a big portable generator instead?
For a fraction of the money, yes — a $500–$2,500 portable plus a $400–$1,300 transfer switch powers the essentials: fridge, furnace fan, well pump, lights. The trade-offs are real: manual start in the storm, refueling every few hours, cord-and-choke ownership, and no whole-home coverage. The standby's premium buys automation — it starts itself while you're at work — and capacity. Households with medical equipment or frequent outages usually land standby; occasional-outage areas often don't need it.
How loud is it, and will my HOA or city object?
Standby generators run lawn-mower loud (upper 60s dB at close range), which is why codes impose setbacks from property lines and windows — the constraint that most often forces a longer, pricier hookup run. Check local noise ordinances and HOA rules before siting, and ask about the weekly self-test: most units exercise themselves for ~10 minutes on a schedule you choose, and mid-morning beats dawn for neighbor relations.
Does a whole-house generator add home value?
It's one of the better-returning mechanical upgrades, particularly in outage-prone regions — industry surveys cited by the source (Consumer Reports and Remodeling magazine) put the return up to 150% of cost. The practical resale asset is the paperwork: the permit, the transfer-switch inspection, and the maintenance log turn 'there's a generator' into 'there's a documented backup power system,' which is what buyers actually pay for.
❓Common questions▼
How much does it cost to install a whole-house generator?
Most homes land at $6,000–$11,000 all-in: a $3,000–$6,000 standby generator plus $3,000–$5,000 of installation (wiring, automatic transfer switch, gas hookup, pad). Large homes needing 22–25 kW systems with long hookup runs reach $9,500–$24,000. Add $400–$1,800 for a propane tank where there's no gas line, and $80–$450 in permits.
What size generator do I need for my house?
By the published coverage ladder: 13–16 kW fully backs a home under 1,500 sq ft, 17–20 kW covers 1,500–3,000 sq ft, and 22–25 kW handles 3,000–5,000. The installer's load calculation refines it — air conditioning is usually the deciding load, since compressor startup draws multiples of running wattage. Sizing for 'essentials only' with a smaller unit is possible via a managed transfer switch, and it saves real money.
Why does generator installation cost as much as the generator?
Because it's three trades and a code inspection: an electrician wiring the unit to your panel through an automatic transfer switch ($600–$2,500 — the component that makes it automatic), a gas fitter running fuel line ($12–$50 per foot), site work including the concrete pad ($150–$400), and permits. Distance is the multiplier — every foot between the pad and your panel/meter is billed conduit and pipe, which is how complex installs reach $5,000–$12,000 in labor.
Natural gas or propane for a standby generator?
Have gas service? Use it — no storage, no deliveries, and it runs as long as the utility line does. No gas on the street? Propane is the standard answer: it stores indefinitely without degrading, burns clean, and costs a one-time $400–$1,800 for the tank. The trades: propane costs more per hour of runtime, while natural gas depends on the grid staying pressurized (nearly always true, even in electrical outages).
How long do whole-house generators last?
15–30 years, or 10,000–30,000 running hours — with maintenance as the lever. These are engines: they want annual service ($200–$650 for inspection, oil, and filters), and they self-test weekly to stay ready. The failure mode isn't usually age; it's neglect discovered mid-outage. A maintenance contract with the installer is the boring purchase that makes the exciting one work.
How much does a whole-house generator cost to run?
During an outage, $30–$170 per day depending on the fuel, the generator's size, and how much of the house you're powering — natural gas at the affordable end, propane above it. Over a multi-day storm that's real money, which is why load management (running what you need, not everything) matters. Our standby generator runtime calculator prices your exact configuration by fuel and load.
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