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Backup generator installation

We handle generator installation in Montreal's Southwest and on the South Shore, and we install the transfer switches that go with it. The transfer switch, the feeder circuit, the outdoor inlet box when the generator is portable, and the choice of circuits that stay live.

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Régie du bâtiment du Québec
RBQ licence
5855-0849-01
Corporation des maîtres électriciens du Québec
CMEQ member
17468
Our service

What we connect, and what has to be decided first

The real question is not the generator, it is the list. A generator does not run the whole house: it runs what you chose to keep going. We build that list with you before the work, because it sets the transfer switch and the capacity you actually need.

  • We set the list of circuits to keep running with you
  • We choose between portable and standby to fit your needs
  • We install the transfer switch and the connection
  • We commission it and test the switchover
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Kitchen lit by a few lamps during a winter power outage

How it works

From the list of circuits to the first switchover

  1. We settle what you want to keep running

    The heating, the sump pump, the fridge, the lighting, a few outlets. That list decides everything else, and it gets made before the work.

  2. We choose the type of hookup

    Portable with an inlet box, or standby with automatic transfer. The choice depends on your list, on your unit and on what your electrical service can carry.

  3. We install the transfer switch

    It goes in beside your main panel and it separates your electrical system from the grid while the generator feeds the house.

  4. We connect, we test and we show you

    A full test, then the switchover explained while it is daylight and everything works. One year warranty on parts and labour.

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Electrician identifying breakers in an open electrical panel
Assessment

What we assess at your place

Four things decide the work, and the first one is not technical. That is why the visit comes before the number.

  • What you really want to keep running

    The question comes first, and the answer is not everything. The heating, the sump pump and the fridge do not weigh the same as the whole house.

  • The capacity of the unit you have in mind

    The generator's nameplate gives what it can actually feed. It is what puts your list up against reality, and sometimes what shortens it.

  • The location and the distance

    Where the generator sits, where the cable comes in, and the length between it and your panel. A unit installed far from the panel changes the gauge of the connection.

  • The state of your main panel

    The transfer switch connects to your electrical service and it takes up room there. On a panel that is already full, you want to know that before anything gets ordered.

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Inside a house lit by a few lamps during a power outage
The brands

The generators we install

Two brands, chosen for what they do and not for an exclusivity agreement. We also install the generator you already have.

  • Generac Guardian

    A permanent generator that starts on its own when the power goes out and feeds your critical-load panel. A common choice, well supported for parts and service.

    • Automatic start when the outage hits
    • Runs on natural gas or propane
    • Parts and service widely available in Quebec
  • Elios GEN20KH
    EliosElios GEN20KH

    A 20 kW liquid-cooled generator, distributed by Volt, for a home that needs more backup capacity.

    • 20 kW, liquid-cooled
    • Natural gas or propane
    • Distributed by Volt
The budget

What makes the price move

The type of hookup first, then three things that only show up on site.

An inlet box with manual transfer and a permanent installation with automatic transfer call for neither the same material nor the same work.

Every circuit kept running gets moved over and labelled. A short list and a list that covers half the house do not get built in the same time.

From the pad or the inlet box to your panel. The route and the walls to cross decide the wiring to run.

If there is no room left to connect the transfer switch, that becomes two jobs instead of one. We find it out by opening the panel, not on the invoice.

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The type of hookup

We do not post prices and we do not give them over the phone. Two houses with the same generator can call for two very different hookups. We assess on site, then we quote.

The choice

Portable or standby

Both can be connected properly. They simply do not answer the same expectation, and the choice gets made before the purchase, not after.

Portable

You bring it out when you need it, start it by hand and plug it into an outdoor inlet box. The transfer is a switchover you carry out yourself. It is the option that asks for the least installation, and the most presence.

Standby

It stays outside on its pad, connected permanently. With a generator and a controller built for it, the transfer happens on its own when the power drops. That has to be verified unit by unit: it is not automatic just because the generator is permanent.

The installation

What the hookup includes

The list to compare from one quote to the next. A generator connected badly costs less the day it goes in and a lot more the day the power goes out.

What stays powered during an outage, decided with you and written down. That is the starting point: the transfer switch, the gauge and the capacity all follow from that list.

It goes in beside the main panel and it keeps your electrical system and the grid from being live at the same time. Manual or automatic depending on your unit, but never missing.

The circuit between the generator and the transfer switch, its gauge and its route. For a standby generator, it starts at the pad. For a portable one, it starts at the inlet box.

For a portable generator: an outdoor box where the cable plugs in, instead of an extension cord running through a window left ajar. That is what makes the hookup clean and lets the house close up.

A full test with you, the switchover explained, and the work declaration filed under our licence numbers. The invoice carries the type of transfer and the gauge of the connection.

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Not included: supplying the generator, the pad a standby generator sits on, the natural gas or propane hookup, and upgrading the electrical service if it becomes necessary.

Identifying breakers in an open electrical panel
Master electrician checking the hookup of a standby generator on its pad
5,015 avis
Google
Zero

Power sent back to the grid

A generator connected without a transfer switch can push power back onto the line, where people are working. That is what the transfer switch makes impossible, and that is its real purpose.

2,000+

Residential projects completed over a career

180

Projects a year, the same master electrician on each one

1 year

Warranty on parts and labour

What makes us legitimate

A power outage shows what was not planned for

A master electrician, about ten years in the trade, and a hookup where improvising gets paid for out on the line.

A generator connected the wrong way is not just inefficient, it is dangerous for the people working on the line. That is exactly what the transfer switch prevents. We install it, we build the list of circuits with you, and we walk you through the switchover while it is still daylight.

Who is behind VGI Électrique
What people say about us
  • Charles Tremblay-RoyGoogle review★★★★★

    « Service impeccable ! L'électricien a été ponctuel, professionnel et a fait un travail de grande qualité. Tout fonctionne parfaitement. Je recommande sans hésitation ! »

  • Isabelle GervaisGoogle review★★★★★

    « J'ai fait affaire avec cette entreprise quelques fois et je recommande fortement. Service super professionnel, et le travail est impeccable. »

  • Etienne Gauvreau-HurtubiseGoogle review★★★★★

    « Véritable allié stratégique pour nos projets d'électricité, Marc-André est efficace, courtois et rapide. Nous le recommandons! »

  • joel touchetteGoogle review★★★★★

    « Service professionnel, offre des options pour ne pas augmenter le prix inutilement concernant le choix des travaux à réaliser »

  • Charles Tremblay-RoyGoogle review★★★★★

    « Service impeccable ! L'électricien a été ponctuel, professionnel et a fait un travail de grande qualité. Tout fonctionne parfaitement. Je recommande sans hésitation ! »

  • Etienne Gauvreau-HurtubiseGoogle review★★★★★

    « Véritable allié stratégique pour nos projets d'électricité, Marc-André est efficace, courtois et rapide. Nous le recommandons! »

  • Isabelle GervaisGoogle review★★★★★

    « J'ai fait affaire avec cette entreprise quelques fois et je recommande fortement. Service super professionnel, et le travail est impeccable. »

  • joel touchetteGoogle review★★★★★

    « Service professionnel, offre des options pour ne pas augmenter le prix inutilement concernant le choix des travaux à réaliser »

1 / 4
Price estimator

An idea of the price
before the next power outage

The price comes down to the type of hookup, the number of circuits to keep running and the distance between the generator and your panel. The tool asks a few questions and shows a range. It is an estimate to place your project, not a quote.

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Électricien qui répond aux questions d’une cliente avant les travaux

Your questions

Frequently asked questions

Nothing here promises a timeline or an amount: for that, we need to see the job.

No. Without one, power can travel back out onto the utility line, where people are working during an outage. The transfer switch separates your electrical system from the grid, and that is precisely why it exists.

Only if the unit and the transfer controller are built for it. A standby generator with automatic transfer does. A portable one gets brought out and started by hand, and the transfer is a switchover you carry out. We check the unit you have in mind before promising you anything.

That depends on the capacity of the generator, not on a general number. We build the list with you, then we put it up against the unit's nameplate. The list sometimes gets shorter at that point, and it is better that this happens before the purchase.

Yes, and it is the contractor who files it, not the owner. It is included in our work, under our RBQ licence 5855-0849-01 and our CMEQ number 17468.

To feed a single appliance, an extension cord rated for outdoor use does the job. To feed circuits in the house, no: that takes an inlet box and a transfer switch. That is the difference between plugging in an appliance and feeding an electrical system.

Every question, all services
Service area

Where we install

Verdun, LaSalle, Lachine, Châteauguay, Longueuil, and the rest of Montreal’s Southwest and the South Shore. Not sure you are in the area? A text message at (514) 929-9963 does the job.

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Often paired
with this service

One project often leads to another. Here is what we most often install at the same time.

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Tell us about your project

Describe it in a few words, even if it is still just an idea. We assess on site what your installation can take, and you decide from there.

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Thank you! Your request is on its way. Marc-André gets back to you as soon as he can.

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