Generator installation in the West Island

Here, our job comes down to one part: the transfer switch between the generator and your panel. The 60 A manual model or the automatic one, installation included, has its price in the quote; the machine itself, its footing and the fuel are billed separately.

How much does a generator hookup cost in the West Island?

On the electrical side, a 60 A manual transfer switch or an automatic model, installed and connected, has its price in the quote, written and free of charge.

The transfer switch price includes neither the unit, nor its footing, nor the fuel.

The exact figure for your home comes after our visit, in writing and free of charge, and you pay nothing before the job is finished.

The cities and the borough where we work

The West Island refers to the municipalities and boroughs on the western part of the island of Montréal: traditionally Baie-D’Urfé, Beaconsfield, Dollard-Des Ormeaux, Dorval, Kirkland, Pointe-Claire, Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue, Senneville and the boroughs of L’Île-Bizard–Sainte-Geneviève and Pierrefonds-Roxboro.

• Pointe-Claire and Dorval.
• Kirkland and Beaconsfield.
• Dollard-des-Ormeaux.
• Pierrefonds-Roxboro, a borough of the City of Montréal formed in 2006 from the former towns of Pierrefonds and Roxboro.

Another address in the West Island? Leave your contact details: the team will confirm whether a visit is possible.

Homes from the 1960s and 1970s

The West Island is house country. In the 2021 census, single-detached houses account for 86.6% of occupied dwellings in Kirkland and 85.8% in Beaconsfield; in Pierrefonds-Roxboro, single-family homes make up 62.4% of the housing stock.

Many were built within about twenty years: 49.0% of dwellings in Beaconsfield and 43.1% of those in Kirkland date from 1961 to 1980. A house with a yard is well suited to a standby generator set outdoors, on its base.

Pierrefonds-Roxboro has 70,382 residents in the 2021 census, and single-family homes weigh more heavily in the west: 69.7% of the housing stock in Pierrefonds-Ouest, according to the City of Montréal.

Households there are almost all owners: 92.9% in Kirkland and 89.6% in Beaconsfield. Pointe-Claire, older, mixes houses and apartments: single-detached houses make up 49.9% of its housing stock, and 36.3% of dwellings date from 1960 or earlier.

Does the panel have room?

First question before any purchase: can your service entrance and your panel take the hookup? A panel dedicated to the generator groups the essential circuits, without making the unit any more powerful.

We check it with a load calculation, included with the quote. To get an idea ahead of time: our electrical load calculation and the generator size calculator.

Portable or standby

Portable, gasoline: we mount a power inlet on the outside wall and, inside, a manual transfer switch. On the night of the outage, taking it out, plugging it in and switching over is your job.

Standby, propane or natural gas: it stays in place outdoors. As soon as the power fails, its automatic transfer switch starts it, then gives the circuits back to the grid when service returns, with no one lifting a finger.

The circuits to back up

No need to power everything. The typical list: sump pump, heating, refrigerator, freezer, a few lights and a few outlets. The dryer, the range, the spa and the car charger aren’t on it.

We settle it with you, based on the unit’s output, then each chosen circuit is moved and labelled in the generator panel.

The transfer switch, in short

Plugging the generator into a wall outlet or into the dryer outlet makes current flow back to the grid: that’s why we always go through a transfer switch.

Hydro-Québec provides for it in its Conditions of Service, section 15.2.5: a mechanical interlock must prevent any coupling between the generator and the grid, failing which its written authorization is required. To go further: the transfer switch.

Generac, Kohler or Siemens

The units we install: most often Generac, Kohler or Siemens.

For the warranty, go to the manufacturer: on most of its residential standby generators, Generac offers a limited warranty of 5 years or 2,000 hours.

Who does what: the gas, the base, the unit

The electrician is us: chosen circuits, wiring, transfer switch, dedicated panel, declaration to the Régie, municipal permit if needed, switchover test.

The gas is the job of a licensed gas company, with which we plan the work; the unit’s footing is up to the general contractor or the supplier.

Hookup day

On hookup day, the house is without power for a few hours. If your generator is a standby, we trigger a mock outage before leaving to watch the switchover happen, check the backed-up circuits and the return to the grid; we then leave you the operating instructions and the maintenance to do.

Outdoors only

Outdoors, always. Health Canada recommends keeping a running generator 6 metres (20 feet) or more from any building, and rules out the garage and the shed. Hydro-Québec also asks that it be kept away from windows, openings and the air exchanger.

You’ll find these rules and others in our winter electrical checklist.

Frequently asked questions