Generator questions, answered

Air conditioning decides it, not square footage. A 2,500 to 3,500 sq ft DFW home with two AC systems is usually 20kW with load management. Under about 1,800 sq ft with one system, 13kW to 17kW often covers it. Above 4,000 sq ft, or with a pool, well or three-plus HVAC zones, you are into liquid-cooled at 25kW and up. The sizing calculator gets you a range in two minutes.

Natural gas if you have gas service, which is most of DFW. There is no tank to fill and no runtime limit while the main holds pressure. Propane if you have no gas main — it stores indefinitely and does not degrade, but you are limited by tank size. Diesel for large loads, fixed runtime requirements, or where code requires on-site fuel. Diesel starts at 20kW and is mostly a commercial answer.

Quiet enough that you will hear the AC compressor over it at normal distances, and it only runs during an outage plus a brief weekly exercise cycle. You can set the exercise for a mid-week mid-morning slot so it never wakes anyone. Diesel sets are louder, which is why the enclosed models exist.

A weekly self-exercise cycle of roughly 10 to 20 minutes, which is what keeps seals lubricated and confirms it will start. That cycle is what makes the difference between a generator that works during an ice storm and a very expensive lawn ornament.

A properly sized standby unit will. A portable will not. Central AC is exactly the load that separates the two categories, and in a Texas summer it is usually the load that actually matters.

Yes, everywhere in DFW. Depending on city and scope that can mean electrical and mechanical permits and one or two inspections. We pull them and meet the inspector, and the fees are inside your quote. An unpermitted generator is also the thing that causes problems when you sell the house.

No, not legally and not safely. It is a permitted gas and electrical installation that ties into the utility service. Self-installation typically voids the manufacturer warranty, will not pass inspection, and creates a genuine back-feed hazard for utility crews.

Typically about 10 to 20 seconds. The transfer switch confirms the utility is genuinely down rather than flickering, starts the generator, lets it stabilise, then transfers. You will notice the gap; it is supposed to be there.

Call us. We service what we install, and we hold the manufacturer relationship, so you are not refereeing between a retailer and an installer. This is the main practical argument for buying equipment and installation from the same licensed company.

It is generally viewed as a desirable feature in Texas, particularly after 2021. We would not buy one as an investment — buy it because a multi-day outage in July or January is a serious problem for your household. The permit record matters at resale; the brand rarely does.

Because four physical facts drive it and none are visible remotely: pad-to-meter distance, whether the gas line carries the load, the run to the panel, and the local permit requirements. Anyone quoting installation sight-unseen is padding to cover the unknown, or will revise it later.

The Dallas–Fort Worth Metroplex for generators. Our commercial electrical division covers a wider Texas footprint including Waco, Tyler, Abilene and Oklahoma City.