Some equipment cannot wait for the grid.
Oxygen, CPAP, dialysis, refrigerated medication. A standby generator restores power in about ten seconds, with nobody having to do anything.
Why battery backup is not quite enough
Most families start with a battery pack, and for a short outage it does the job. The arithmetic changes when a shutoff runs into its second and third day.
A four-hour battery covers a four-hour problem. Public safety shutoffs here are measured in days, and they tend to arrive with wind, heat and roads that are not worth driving.
A portable has the same shape of problem from the other direction: it works, but only while someone is awake, able to go outside, and able to lift a fuel can.
That is the whole point of a standby unit in this situation. It watches the line and starts on its own. It does not need a person at home, awake, or physically able. That matters most at two in the morning, and it matters most when the person who would normally handle it is the person who depends on the equipment.
What would it cost for your home?
Five short steps about your home, your panel and where the unit would sit. At the end you get a price range and a recommended model, on screen.
Your price range on screen, before anyone visits your home.
What the price includes
Sized around the equipment
Tell us what has to stay running and the sizing works backward from that, rather than from square footage alone.
Automatic transfer switch
Ten-second switchover. No cords, no manual start, no one going outside in the dark.
Permits, inspection and SDG&E
Permit pulled, utility coordinated, inspector met. You are not managing the process.
A live transfer test
Before we leave, we simulate an outage so you have watched the equipment stay on rather than taking our word for it.
See what it would cost for your home.
A few minutes, and you will see a range and a recommended model.
Questions families ask
How quickly does the power come back?
About ten seconds from the grid dropping. Equipment with its own internal battery bridges that gap without interruption. Equipment without one restarts as the power returns.
Does someone need to be home?
No. That is the difference between a standby unit and a portable one. It starts and stops on its own with nobody present.
How long will it run?
On natural gas, as long as the outage lasts. On propane it depends on tank size and load, which the quote asks about.
We are on SDG&E’s medical baseline. Does that help during a shutoff?
It helps with billing and with notification, but it does not keep your power on. A public safety shutoff affects the circuit, not the account.
Can this be scheduled sooner?
Tell us the situation when we speak. We hold priority scheduling for households with medical equipment, though permitting and equipment lead times still apply.
Start with the number.
A few minutes, no obligation, and you will know whether this fits your budget before anyone visits.