Already own a portable generator? A transfer switch or interlock hookup lets you power your furnace, sump pump, fridge, well pump, and lights through your electrical panel — safely, with no extension cords snaking through a cracked window, and no risk of backfeeding power onto utility lines where line crews are working.
Get Free Portable Generator Hookup / Transfer Switch Installation QuotesBackup power is one of those purchases that only proves itself on the worst day of the year — and by then it's too late to shop for it. A free quote now tells you exactly where you stand.
For a typical portable-generator hookup — transfer switch or interlock, exterior inlet box, and wiring — homeowners generally pay in the high hundreds to around $1,500, depending on panel location and how many circuits are included. It's the most affordable way to make a portable generator genuinely useful in an outage.
No — never. Backfeeding a panel through an outlet, without a transfer switch or interlock, can send power out onto utility lines and seriously injure the crews working to restore your street, and it can wreck your generator and appliances when utility power comes back. A proper hookup makes backfeeding physically impossible.
A hookup costs in the high hundreds to ~$1,500 and covers your essentials, but you have to be home to wheel the portable out, fuel it, and start it. A standby system costs much more and is completely automatic. If outages are rare and you're usually home, the hookup is smart value. If you have medical equipment, a sump pump that can't wait, or you travel — automatic wins.
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