Generator installation and transfer switches in Jacksonville

Standby and portable generators on the First Coast: the transfer switch, JEA's review before installation, the gas permit, and where the unit can sit in a flood zone.

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Two kinds of generator get installed on the First Coast: a standby unit on a pad with an automatic transfer switch, fed by natural gas or propane, and a portable unit connected through a manual transfer switch or an interlocked inlet. Both need the transfer switch, because the alternative, back-feeding the house through a dryer outlet, puts power on the utility's lines and can kill a lineman. Both need an electrical permit; the standby unit also needs a gas permit and, in JEA territory, JEA's review before it goes in.

Send the form or call and get connected with an independent local electrical contractor who serves your area. Say which kind, what you want to keep running (the whole house, or the refrigerator, the AC and a few circuits), what fuel is available, and where the house is.

What the job involves

The pieces of a standby installation, each of which belongs on the quote.

The transfer switch: automatic for a standby unit, sized to the service or to a subpanel of the circuits it will carry; manual, or an interlock kit at the panel with an inlet, for a portable unit.
JEA's standby generator request: JEA reviews and must approve a standby generator installation before it is installed, and the contractor submits the request. Beaches Energy, Clay Electric and FPL have their own interconnection rules; the contractor handles the utility.
The gas side: a licensed gas contractor sizes and runs the natural gas or propane line under a separate permit; the electrical contractor does the electrical.
The electrical permit and inspection from the city or county, plus a load calculation that shows the generator and switch are sized for what they carry.
Placement: clearances from openings and property lines, the pad, and in a flood zone the elevation. Inside the city the floodplain rule puts equipment two feet above base flood elevation; on the riverfront and the Beaches that is a raised pad or a platform.

Portable done right

A portable generator is the affordable answer for most houses, and it is done right with a manual transfer switch or a panel interlock and an outdoor inlet, so the cord plugs into the house, not into a wall outlet. The generator itself stays outdoors, away from windows and doors; carbon monoxide from a generator in a garage or a carport is the deadliest thing about a hurricane week.

After the storm

A generator that ran for days needs its oil and its transfer switch checked; a standby unit that sat in floodwater is a service call before it runs again. Salt air at the Beaches, Ponte Vedra and Amelia Island shortens enclosure and connection life; ask about coastal-rated enclosures when the unit is quoted.

Need an estimate? Call 904-867-8658

Call or send the form. An independent local electrical contractor who serves your area contacts you to schedule the visit.

Call 904-867-8658 Request a call back

Have this ready when you call

Standby or portable, and what you want to keep running
The fuel available: natural gas at the house, propane, gasoline
Where the panel is and where the unit could sit
Your electric utility and whether the house is in a flood zone
Whether the house is inside a city, for the permit office

Verify the license

Ask for the license number and check it before hiring or authorizing work. A certified electrical contractor's number begins with EC and is valid statewide; a registered contractor's begins with ER and is valid only in the counties where they are registered.

Look it up on DBPR (myfloridalicense.com)

Electrical Services Jacksonville connects homeowners with independent local electrical contractors. We are not an electrical contractor. Service availability, pricing, and timing are determined by the contractor.