Cummins RS17A
Air-cooled · Natural Gas / LP Vapor
Dallas County · Texas
Generator installation in Richardson
Cummins home standby generators sold at published equipment pricing and installed in Richardson by our own licensed electricians. We pull the permits, meet the inspector, and commission the unit under load before we leave.
Richardson generator installation at a glance
| County | Dallas County |
|---|---|
| Electric delivery | Oncor Electric Delivery |
| Natural gas | Atmos Energy |
| Installed by | Clements Electric, Grand Prairie |
| Permit required | Yes — we pull it |
| Typical 20kW installed | $13,500 – $17,000 |
| Site survey | Free, no obligation |
Why Richardson homes need standby power
Texas homes lose power for reasons that have nothing to do with how new the neighborhood is. Spring and early summer bring severe thunderstorms and straight-line winds that take down distribution lines. Winter brings ice loading, which is what put much of the state in the dark in February 2021 and again during Winter Storm Fern in January 2026. And summer brings peak demand on a grid that has repeatedly asked Texans to conserve.
What makes an outage genuinely serious here is air conditioning. A summer outage in Richardson is not an inconvenience, it is a habitability problem within hours, and it is the reason sizing a generator in Texas starts with your AC tonnage rather than your square footage.
Subdivisions we work in around Richardson
- Canyon Creek
- Prairie Creek
- Breckinridge
That list is where the work actually is, not an exhaustive boundary — we install anywhere in Richardson and across Dallas County. It is worth naming because lot layout matters more than most homeowners expect, though not for the reason people assume. What fixes the generator’s position is the manufacturer’s listed clearance from windows, doors and combustibles, plus the fuel gas and electrical codes. That distance then drives the gas run and the electrical run, which are the two biggest variables in your installation price.
Two things vary by subdivision rather than by city. Newer developments tend to have the gas meter and the panel on the same elevation, which shortens both runs; older ones frequently do not. And an HOA with an architectural committee adds a submission step — not a veto, because Texas Property Code § 202.019 bars an association from prohibiting a standby generator, but a step worth starting early.
Permits and inspection in Richardson
Separate single-trade electrical and plumbing permits. Each licensed contractor pulls their own and owns their own inspections, so nobody is waiting on a single general permit to clear.
Richardson builds to the 2021 International codes with the 2020 National Electrical Code and regional amendments. Worth knowing where a neighboring city has moved to the 2023 NEC, because the two disagree on parts of the transfer switch and disconnect rules.
Either way we pull the permits, schedule the inspection and meet the inspector on site. It is inside the installation quote, not a surprise line item afterward — how installation actually works sets out the whole sequence, survey through commissioning, and what moves the price. If you have not settled on a size yet, the generator sizing calculator is the place to start, because the kW figure is what everything else in Richardson is quoted against.
Worth knowing before you read Richardson’s handout: Texas law now limits what a city may require on a residential generator install at or under 50kW, and some published city guidance predates it. Since 1 September 2025 a second statute lets a qualified third party do the plan review and the inspection instead of the city, which puts a three business day clock on the permit. See what your city can and cannot require, and what your HOA cannot prohibit.
Utilities that affect your install
Electric delivery in Richardson is Oncor Electric Delivery, across the whole city, which makes this the straightforward case: one set of interconnection rules and one meter standard for every address we work at here. That decides how the transfer switch ties in at the meter and whether a service-entrance rated switch is the cleaner path.
Natural gas is typically Atmos Energy, and the gas side is where installation prices move the most: if your meter has spare capacity and sits near the generator location, the gas work is straightforward. If the meter has to be upsized, that is a utility request with its own timeline. Service territory boundaries in the Metroplex do not follow city limits cleanly, so we verify both utilities against your actual address rather than assuming from the city name.
Solar panels and a standby generator in Richardson
If your Richardson home already has grid-tied solar, the solar has to connect on the utility side of the generator's transfer switch, between the meter and the switch, so the generator can never feed the inverters. Why that matters is in adding a standby generator to a solar home. How the connection is made depends on the utility that serves Richardson: Oncor Electric Delivery.
Oncor Electric Delivery(delivery utility)
- Disconnect:A visible, lockable, labeled AC disconnect is required between the Oncor meter and every source of distributed generation, within 10 feet of the meter unless special placards are used. Oncor states that molded-case breakers are not an acceptable disconnect.
- Meter socket:The meter socket is reserved for Oncor metering. No meter collars or other devices may be installed in it or between the meter and the socket.
- Generator and transfer switch:The generator transfer switch must be installed on the load side of the meter base, never integrated with or in series with the meter. Oncor asks installers to confirm whether the transfer switch is open or closed transition.
- Solar approval:Solar needs an Oncor interconnection application, and Oncor treats a system as certified when it meets UL 1741 and the applicable parts of IEEE 1547.
Sources: Oncor Electric Service Guidelines (February 2025), sections 100.01.18, 500.06 and 700; Oncor Residential/Small Commercial Project Requirements (May 2025). Checked 2026-09-30.
Who actually shows up in Richardson
UTS ElectricPros is the authorized Cummins dealer. The installation is carried out by Clements Electric, the dba our licensed electrical crews work under operating from 2100 S Great Southwest Pkwy, Suite 505 in Grand Prairie.
That distinction is worth understanding, because most of this industry works the other way round. Online retailers ship a generator and leave you to find an installer. Lead-generation sites sell your details to whoever pays for them. Here the sale and the installation sit inside one relationship, which means nobody gets to point at the other when something needs sorting out in year three.
Our installation crews work under the Clements Electric name, which also covers repairs, maintenance and other electrical work in Richardson. Clements Electric standby generator installation and service in Richardson.
Popular in Richardson
Cummins RS20AC
Air-cooled · Natural Gas / LP Vapor
ATS included
Cummins RS13A
Air-cooled · Natural Gas / LP Vapor
The whole range, here
What we sell and install in Richardson
Every Cummins line we carry is available in Richardson. The ones below that are permanently installed, we install — with our own licensed electricians under TECL #40628, across Dallas County and the rest of the Metroplex. The rest ship direct to your address and need no electrician at all.
Installed in Richardson
- Home standby generators Whole-house backup power, started automatically. Homeowners who cannot simply leave — small children, someone on medical equipment, a well pump, a home office, or livestock on the property.
- Light commercial diesel generators Keeping a business open when the power is not. Offices, clinics, restaurants, retail suites and small industrial buildings that cannot close for a day.
- Agricultural standby generators Constant power for livestock, irrigation and cold storage. Poultry houses, dairies, row-crop irrigation and anyone whose animals depend on a fan or a pump running.
- Automatic transfer switches The switch that makes backup power automatic. Every permanently installed standby generator, residential or commercial.
Shipped to Richardson, no installation needed
- Portable generators Power you can carry to where it is needed. Campers, tailgaters, tradespeople, and homeowners who want a fallback without a five-figure installation.
- RV generators Power on the coach, away from shore power. Motorhome and coach owners running Onan QG and QD gensets.
- Mobile trailer-mounted diesel generators Temporary power at scale, towed to site. Equipment rental companies buying fleet units, and contractors powering a site directly.
Equipment ships to all fifty states and completes in the cart. Installation is Dallas–Fort Worth only, because it is bounded by a Texas electrical license and quoted against your gas meter, your panel and Richardson’s permit — how that works, or book the free survey.
Generator questions from Richardson homeowners
How much does a whole house generator cost in Richardson?
Equipment is published on every model page — a 20kW Cummins RS20A is $5,925.25. Installed in Richardson, a typical 20kW system runs $13,500 to $17,000 all in, including the pad, gas work, transfer switch, permit and commissioning. The spread depends on how far the generator sits from your gas meter and electrical panel, and whether the gas line needs upsizing.
Do I need a permit for a generator in Richardson?
Yes. Standby generator installations in Richardson require permitting and inspection, and depending on the scope that can mean separate electrical and mechanical permits. We pull the permits and meet the inspector — it is part of the installation quote, not an extra you discover later. Requirements and fees differ between Dallas County cities, which is why we confirm the specifics for your address rather than quoting a generic number.
Who provides gas and electric service in Richardson?
Electric delivery in Richardson is Oncor Electric Delivery, and natural gas is typically Atmos Energy. Both matter to a generator project: the electric utility governs how the transfer switch ties in at the meter, and the gas utility determines whether your meter can carry the additional demand or needs upsizing. We verify both against your actual address during the survey, because service boundaries in the Metroplex do not follow city limits cleanly.
How long does installation take in Richardson?
The physical work on a typical residential job is one to three days. The calendar time is usually driven by permitting and inspection scheduling rather than by our crew. We give you a realistic window at the survey once we know which jurisdiction and what scope — we would rather quote a date we can hit.
Do you actually serve Richardson, or just advertise there?
Yes. UTS ElectricPros is the authorized Cummins dealer, and the installation in Richardson is performed by Clements Electric, the assumed name (dba) under which UTS ElectricPros, LLC operates its licensed electrical crews, working from 2100 S Great Southwest Pkwy, Suite 505, Grand Prairie. That is one relationship, not a lead sold to whoever bids lowest — the same people who sold you the generator are accountable for how it goes in and how it runs afterward.