SDG&E turns the power off on purpose. Your house doesn’t have to notice.
A standby generator runs on the gas line you already have, so a public safety shutoff stops being your problem.
The part nobody tells you about PSPS
The shutoff itself you can plan around. It is the notice at ten at night, filling bathtubs and charging everything you own, that wears people down. Then it lasts three days and the refrigerator is a write-off.
A standby unit removes the scramble entirely. It watches the line, starts itself when the grid drops, and shuts off when it comes back.
But here is the thing that actually decides whether you have protection this season.
And then waits. Permitting, SDG&E coordination and equipment lead time do not compress because demand spiked. Homeowners who start in spring are running before the Santa Anas. Homeowners who start after the first shutoff are usually running after the last one.
What would PSPS protection cost here?
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.
Sized to what you want running through a multi-day shutoff, not to a catalogue page. Ten-second switchover with no cords and no manual start. It works whether or not you are home. We pull the permit for your jurisdiction, coordinate the utility side and meet the inspector. Scoped and priced before you sign rather than discovered halfway through the install. Find out what yours costs before the next shutoff notice. You will see a range and a recommended model, and can tell us straight away if it is outside your budget. That depends on when you start. Site visit and final quote usually inside a week, then several weeks of permitting and equipment lead time before install. Starting now is the difference between protection this season and protection next. Both. The generator does not know why the grid went away. It detects the loss of power and starts, whether SDG&E cut it deliberately or a line came down. On natural gas, as long as the shutoff lasts. On propane it depends on tank size and load, which is why the quote asks about both. A modern standby unit runs at roughly the level of a central air conditioner. Placement affects this, which is why the quote asks where it would sit. Yes, on approved credit. Easiest to walk through once you have a range and know what you are budgeting against. A few minutes, no obligation, and you will know whether this fits your budget before anyone visits.What the price includes
The generator, set and commissioned
Automatic transfer switch
Permits, inspection and SDG&E
Panel work, if your service needs it
Recent work across East County
Questions people ask first
Will it be installed before fire season?
Does it run during a shutoff, or only a fault?
How long can it run?
Is it loud enough to bother neighbours?
Is financing available?
Start with the number.