CAA Habitation recommendedElectrician in Blainville (in French)
Smart homes, connected thermostats, lighting and subpanels in a city with recent housing.
Generator · Blainville
Generator installation in Blainville
From Fontainebleau to Plan-Bouchard, our master electricians connect your generator, portable or standby, through a compliant transfer switch.
60 A manual transfer switch: price in the quote; generator, base and fuel extra
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In short
- The City publishes no rule specific to generators in its zoning bylaw 1418, nor in its bylaw 1417 on permits (checked on October 11, 2026).
- The price of the installed transfer switch, 60 amp manual or automatic, is in the written quote, free of charge. The unit, its base and the fuel aren’t included.
- A standby generator starts on its own when the grid goes down, which matters when the house stays empty during an outage.
- The gas is a specialized contractor’s job: we do all the electrical part.
What Blainville publishes on generators
Not much, and we might as well say so plainly. Zoning bylaw 1418, in its consolidated version, contains neither the word “génératrice” (generator) nor the word “électrogène” (generating set). Bylaw 1417, which governs permits and certificates, doesn’t either. The City’s “Bylaws and permits” page says nothing more about it.
The closest provision targets another appliance. The table of accessory equipment for the Residential group (s. 91) puts heat pumps, pool filtration systems, air conditioning and “other similar equipment” on the same line. This equipment is prohibited in the front yard and allowed in the side and back yards; it must be hidden from the street by a screen and produce no more than 55 dBA beyond the lot line.
The bylaw doesn’t say that a generator is part of this similar equipment. It’s up to the City to decide: before choosing the location of a standby, ask Blainville’s urban planning department.
A generator project? Three contact details and a few questions are enough.
Get a quoteA city of single-detached houses
The road network gradually made it a bedroom community from the 1980s on. In the 2021 census, 64.2% of its occupied dwellings were single-detached houses. Its 54.62 km² territory is divided into 12 districts, from Fontainebleau to Henri-Dunant by way of Chante-Bois and Le Blainvillier.
On this kind of lot, both options remain open. The portable costs less to hook up and needs someone on site to start it. The standby takes over on its own, which matters when the house stays empty during an outage.
A standby can also be integrated into the home’s management, with an alert on your phone when it starts while you’re away.
Two needs, two transfer switches
The transfer switch is the only accepted path between the generator and the panel. The model follows from what you expect from the installation.
| Your situation | The setup | Transfer switch installed by STM-Électrique |
|---|---|---|
| You already own a portable, or you want to keep it simple | Outdoor power inlet and a manual transfer switch near the panel; the unit runs on gasoline, to be refilled during the outage | 60 amp manual: price in the quote |
| The house must stay powered even if nobody is there | Standby generator on propane or natural gas, with an automatic transfer switch that starts and switches over within seconds, then switches back when the grid returns | Automatic: price in the quote |
The transfer switch price covers the switch only, installed and connected; the generator, its base and the fuel are extra. We don’t publish any generator price or complete package; the quote, written and free of charge, prices the whole job after the visit.
For units, Generac is the brand we install most often. If you choose propane, plan for a tank: Generac requires one of at least 250 US gallons, and cylinders won’t do.
Rénoclimat: up to $1,000 to hook up a backup power source. Since October 1, 2026, Rénoclimat pays up to $1,000 for the labour of a master electrician who connects a backup power source to the panel of your principal residence, a duplex, a triplex or a building with at least four units. The Québec government describes this measure as connecting a “backup power source powered by renewable energy”: for a generator, have its eligibility confirmed by Rénoclimat before counting on this aid. The home must have been built and lived in for at least five years. The aid doesn’t cover buying the generator or the transfer switch. You apply yourself, no later than 12 months after the work. Rénoclimat 2026: up to $1,000 to hook up a backup power source
From the visit to the final test
Everything goes through an auxiliary panel, the generator panel, where we group the circuits that matter during an outage. Among the priority circuits: the sump pump, the heating, the refrigerator, the freezer and a few lighting points and outlets. Dryer, oven, spa and EV charger aren’t part of it.
Selecting the circuits
We draw up the list together, in line with the available power. As an example, a 60 A generator panel can carry one heating circuit, three lighting circuits and three outlet circuits, without the generator supplying 60 A for all that.
Installing the panel and the inlet
The generator panel is installed at the chosen spot, and the power inlet goes on the outside wall.
Connecting the circuits
The selected circuits are moved to the generator panel and labelled one by one.
Check and demonstration
We check the transfer, then give you a demonstration of the installation.
During the installation, the house is without power for a few hours. For a standby, the final test reproduces an outage: we cut the grid, make sure of the start-up, the switchover and the backed-up circuits, restore the power to check the switch back, and explain the maintenance to you. A quick reminder for a manual transfer switch: operate it once a year.
Safety rules we don’t get around
Whatever the unit, these instructions hold in Blainville as everywhere else.
- No connection through an outlet. Whether it’s the dryer outlet or a wall outlet with a cord that has male plugs at both ends, the generator’s current would flow backwards into the circuit.
- No generator in the garage, ever.
- Six metres of clearance. Health Canada recommends placing the unit at least 6 metres from buildings.
- A carbon monoxide detector in working order, at all times.
Who does what, and how long it takes
Our job covers assessing the circuits to back up, the wiring, the declaration of work, the municipal permit if applicable and a complete switchover test. The gas connection is the job of a licensed gas company, and the unit’s base, depending on the case, of the general contractor or the supplier.
The generator’s warranty is the manufacturer’s: at Generac, 5 years or 2,000 hours under the standard warranty. On our side, we install only equipment certified for Canada, and at the end you receive a detailed invoice and a work report.
For a standby, the work on site takes a few days; the wait comes mostly from the authorizations and the fuel, hence the benefit of not waiting until November. We also work in Boisbriand, Sainte-Thérèse, Lorraine, Bois-des-Filion and Rosemère. No deposit is required: you pay once the job is finished.
Learn more
EV charger in Blainville
Load calculation, charger installed and the rebates available for a Blainville house.
Generator installation
Portable, standby, a panel for the backed-up circuits and generators for businesses.
Frequently asked questions in Blainville
Do I need a permit to install a generator in Blainville?
The City publishes nothing on the subject: neither its bylaw 1417 on permits nor its zoning bylaw 1418 names the generator. Check with the City before the work. For the electrical part, our master electrician declares the work to the Régie du bâtiment du Québec, and the municipal permit, if applicable, is part of our job.
Where can I place a standby generator on my lot?
Zoning bylaw 1418 doesn’t specify it for a generator. It governs heat pumps and “other similar equipment” (not in the front yard, a screen, 55 dBA at the lot line), but whether a generator is part of it is for the City to decide. Ask the urban planning department before setting the location.
I already own a portable. Can you connect it?
Yes. We install a power inlet outside and, near the panel, a manual transfer switch to which we connect the chosen circuits. The price of a 60 amp manual transfer switch, installed, is in the quote; generator, base and fuel extra.
Do you do the natural gas connection?
No. A licensed gas company takes care of it; our team handles the electrical work and agrees with them on how the job goes.
How long without electricity during the work?
Plan for a few hours of outage to connect the transfer switch and move the circuits to the other panel. The quote states the schedule, in writing.
Do you travel to neighbouring cities?
Yes. Boisbriand, Sainte-Thérèse, Lorraine, Bois-des-Filion and Rosemère are part of our regular territory.
Sources · Checked on October 11, 2026
- City of Blainville: zoning bylaw 1418, consolidated version (s. 91) (in French)
- City of Blainville: bylaw 1417 on the administration of urban planning bylaws (in French)
- City of Blainville: bylaws and permits (in French)
- Statistics Canada: 2021 Census Profile, Blainville (type of dwelling)
- STM-Électrique: electrician in Blainville (in French)
- Wikipedia: Blainville (bedroom community, area, districts) (in French)
Generator · Blainville
Your house powered during the next outage
A transfer switch suited to your unit, the right backed-up circuits and a written quote, free of charge.
Get a quote: generator
Your contact details and three or four quick questions. Not sure of an answer? Leave “Not sure” and we’ll check on site.