Generac standby generators in Santa Cruz County

Whole-home standby generators with automatic transfer switches — the PSPS workhorse in the San Lorenzo Valley. We're certified Generac installers, and the same C-10 crew does the panel and gas work the install depends on.

Get a quote for this service(831) 786-5506Or free whole-home inspection
CSLB #C10-1097237Certified Generac installer20-year workmanship guaranteePermit + inspection handled
02What this is

A standby generator is a permanently installed unit that starts itself when the power goes out, runs on natural gas or propane, and shuts itself down when utility power comes back. You don't carry anything, run extension cords, or go outside in a storm.

A standby generator installation brings together electrical work, a gas connection, and a pad for the unit. We handle the concrete pad work in-house too. The automatic transfer switch disconnects your home from the utility before the generator supplies power, preventing power from feeding back onto utility lines. That switch is included in every whole-home install we do.

We're a C-10 electrical contractor first, which is the reason we can be straight with you about whether you need one at all. Plenty of homes in this county are better served by a battery, and some are better served by a portable generator and an interlock kit — a fraction of the cost. We'll tell you which one you are before we quote you.

04What's included

Exactly what we handle — and the two things you handle.

Sunrise provides

  • Generac air-cooled standby unit, sized to what you actually want to run — our common configuration is the 22 kW
  • Automatic transfer switch, installed and commissioned — a 200-amp ATS on the standard whole-home package
  • Composite or poured concrete pad, installed by our own crew, set level and to the required clearances from windows, doors, and the property line
  • All electrical between the generator, the transfer switch, and your service — including any panel work the install turns up
  • Gas connection and sediment trap where an existing supply is close enough to tie into
  • Commissioning: load test, exercise schedule set, and Mobile Link connected so you and we can see its status remotely
  • Building permit pulled and the inspection coordinated — including the gas inspection, which is a separate sign-off
  • A walkthrough at handover: what it does on its own, what the exercise cycle sounds like, and what to do if it faults
Warranty: 20-year workmanship, transferable. Generac's own equipment warranty runs separately and we register it for you. · Permits: pulled + inspection coordinated by us, built into the quote · Cleanup: pad area graded and tidied, packaging and offcuts hauled away, trenching backfilled and tamped. Landscaping restoration beyond backfill is out of scope — we'll say so at quote rather than after.

You provide

  • Access to the meter, the panel, and the intended generator location on the work day
  • A gas account with enough supply — an undersized meter is the most common reason a job needs a second visit
  • HOA or architectural approval where applicable, since the unit is visible and audible from outside
  • A sense of what has to stay running, so we size it once rather than twice
05How it works

Start to finish, with real times.

11–2 hrs on-site

Free home inspection and sizing

A tech looks at your panel, your gas supply, and the possible locations, then walks through what you need running during an outage. Sizing is the whole job — an oversized unit wastes money and an undersized one trips on the first well pump start. You get a written report and a real number.

21–3 weeks, mostly waiting on others

Permit, gas check, and scheduling

We pull the building permit and confirm your gas meter can actually carry the load — this is where jobs get delayed if nobody checks, because upsizing a meter is on PG&E's timeline, not ours. If a sound enclosure is part of your scope, it gets ordered here; those run about three months.

31–2 days on-site

Install day

Pad set, unit placed, transfer switch installed at the service, gas run and pressure-tested, everything terminated and labelled. Your power is off for part of the day while the transfer switch goes in — we tell you which part in advance.

4Half a day, plus inspector scheduling

Inspection, commissioning, and handover

Electrical and gas inspections, then a real load test — we cut the utility feed and watch it transfer, carry the house, and hand back. Exercise schedule set, Mobile Link paired, warranty registered, and a walkthrough so it isn't a mystery box in the side yard.

06Pricing transparency

Every quote is free. The range depends too much on your home to fake it.

Our whole-home package is a Generac unit and an automatic transfer switch, supplied and installed, with the switch inside the price rather than bolted on afterwards. We give you a real number at the free inspection instead of a range on a web page, because the honest spread between an easy install and a hard one is wide enough that a single mid-range figure would mislead you in either direction. What moves the number is site work, and it's worth knowing before you compare quotes — a new gas supply line, an upsized gas meter, a sound enclosure, or panel work the install turns up are each real line items that some quotes leave out and add later. Ours are itemised at quote. There is no federal tax credit on a standby generator. The residential energy credits that used to be quoted at people (Sections 25C and 25D) both terminated on 31 December 2025, and generators never qualified under either. Anyone telling you otherwise is selling.

Financing · GoGreen Home
Financing is available on generator projects when they qualify. We'll walk through the pathway at quote rather than putting an invented monthly figure on a web page — you see the real number once the scope is set. Note that GoGreen Home financing is tied to qualifying energy-efficiency work, and a standby generator on its own generally is not that; pairing it with panel or electrification work can change the answer.
Pre-qualify in 60 seconds — no credit impact
What it costs
Quotes are free. The variance on this work is too wide for an honest range — book a free inspection and we’ll give you a real number for your specific home, in writing.
What moves the number
Sizing — what has to run at once, especially well pumps and HVAC, which start hard · Distance from the generator location to your panel and to the gas source · Whether a new gas supply line is needed, and whether your meter can carry the load · Whether your existing panel and service can take the transfer switch as-is, or need work first · Sound and weatherproofing enclosure — optional, with a lead time of around three months · Pad type and site access — a wheelbarrow route versus a truck route changes the labour · Propane instead of natural gas, which adds tank siting and a different regulator setup
No hidden fees. Every quote is free and detailed.
09Frequently asked questions

8 questions. Real answers.

Pulled from what we actually hear on quotes and on-site. If yours isn't here, ask us — we'll answer in plain English.

Should I get a generator or a battery?
Start with what needs to stay on and for how long. A battery's backup duration depends on its charge, capacity, the loads running and any solar available to recharge it. A generator can support extended outages while fuel is available, but it also needs oil checks and maintenance during prolonged use. We size both at the inspection against your priorities. See home batteries for the other side of it.
What size Generac do I need?
It depends on what has to run at the same time, not on your house's square footage. The load that decides it for most homes here is the well pump or the air conditioner, because motors draw several times their running current for the first second. Our common whole-home configuration is the 22 kW, which covers most single-family homes in the county including a well. We calculate it at the inspection rather than guessing from a table.
Do I need a transfer switch, or can I just plug it in?
A permanently installed standby generator requires an automatic transfer switch, and ours is included. This is not upselling — connecting a generator to your house without proper switching can push power back onto the utility lines and injure or kill a lineworker who believes the circuit is dead. It is also what the permit and inspection exist to verify. If you're looking at a portable generator instead, the correct and much cheaper answer is a factory interlock kit at your panel, which we also install.
How loud is it, and will my neighbours mind?
An air-cooled standby unit is roughly the volume of a running air conditioner, and it exercises itself weekly for a few minutes — that scheduled run is what most neighbours actually notice, and we can set when it happens. On a tight lot, or where an HOA has a view, a sound-reducing enclosure is worth costing out; they carry a lead time of around three months, so it's an early decision rather than a late one. Local noise ordinances and setback rules vary by jurisdiction in this county, and we check yours as part of the permit.
Natural gas or propane?
Natural gas if you have it — no tank, no refills, but operation still depends on gas service and the generator's maintenance needs. Propane is the answer where there's no gas service, which is a lot of the valley and the ridges. Propane needs a tank sited to code with its own clearances, and a generator burns through it faster than people expect during a multi-day outage, so tank size becomes a real decision rather than a detail. For either fuel, follow the unit's manual for oil checks and servicing during extended outages.
How long does the whole thing take?
The install itself is one to two days on site. The calendar is usually longer than the labour: permits, the gas check, and inspector scheduling put most projects at two to four weeks from signed quote to commissioned. If your gas meter needs upsizing, that runs on PG&E's timeline and can add weeks — which is exactly why we check it before you sign rather than after.
Is there a tax credit or rebate for a standby generator?
No. Both federal residential energy credits — Section 25C and Section 25D — terminated on 31 December 2025, and neither one covered standby generators even while they existed. Battery storage did qualify under 25D until it expired, so if you've read about a credit in this category, that is probably what you were reading about. We would rather you hear that here than find out at tax time.
Do you service generators you didn't install?
Yes. Most contractors won't come out for a generator they didn't sell you, and that is how people end up with an expensive unit nobody will look at. We'll service and repair existing Generac installs, and we'll tell you honestly if a unit is past the point where repair makes sense.
10Even if Sunrise isn't the answer

Here’s the honest path — wherever it leads.

We'd rather you get the right outcome than the Sunrise outcome. Some of this points away from us on purpose.

Outside Santa Cruz County?

Look for a CSLB-licensed C-10 contractor who is also a certified Generac installer — the second part matters for warranty registration and parts. Verify the licence at cslb.ca.gov, and confirm the quote includes the transfer switch, the permit, and the gas inspection rather than listing them separately later.

Browse our field guides

Might a battery suit you better?

Compare the loads you need, the outage duration you want to cover and the energy available. Batteries can recharge from compatible solar; generators depend on fuel and maintenance. We assess both against your home rather than choosing on duration alone.

Solar, battery + backup power

On a budget, or renting?

A portable generator plus a factory interlock kit at your panel is a legal, inspected, far cheaper way to back up a few essential circuits. It is manual and you have to be home to start it — but it is honest backup and we install them.

Schedule a free inspection
12Service areas

We do this work everywhere in Santa Cruz County.

From Davenport to Pajaro Dunes, San Lorenzo Valley to Pleasure Point. Same crew, same warranty, same pricing.

Boulder CreekBen LomondFeltonScotts ValleySanta CruzSoquelAptosWatsonvilleAll 32 service areas →
13One more thing

Want a real number on a standby generator?

Free on-site inspection, correct sizing, and a written quote with the transfer switch and permit already in it. No pressure to book on the spot.

Get a quote(831) 786-5506Free inspection