The number on the generator box is roughly half your installed price. That’s the whole secret. The other half is six more line items — and every honest quote in this market shows you all seven. We hold off on posting dollar ranges — an honest number comes from your fuel supply and panel, not a web page — so what you get here is the thing that actually protects you: the structure, and whether it’s worth buying at all.
What’s on a complete quote? All seven items, one table
| # | Line item | Moves your total? | What moves it |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The generator unit | About half the total | The size tier you pick |
| 2 | Automatic transfer switch | Steady | Your electrical service |
| 3 | Concrete pad | Small | Unit size, soil prep |
| 4 | Gas line / propane connection | The wildcard | Trench length, meter adequacy, tank siting |
| 5 | Electrical work | Varies | Panel age, distance to pad |
| 6 | Permits | Small, fixed by jurisdiction | Which office your parcel answers to |
| 7 | Startup & commissioning | Steady | Nothing — it’s the same checklist everywhere |
Reading it takes ten seconds: the unit sets the scale, items 4 and 5 create the surprises, and everything else is furniture. A quote with five line items isn’t cheaper — two items are hiding.
What actually moves YOUR number?
Three things, in order:
- Your size tier. Roughly half the total, remember — and what changes between 18, 22, and 26kW is more than the box price.
- Your fuel situation. The single biggest surprise generator buyers hit in this market: an in-city meter that needs an upgrade, or a propane tank that needs trenching. House-specific, unpriceable by phone.
- Your panel. Newer panels take a transfer switch quietly. Older ones sometimes negotiate.
Notice what’s not on the list: the brand. Logos move the total less than trenches do.
How do you get YOUR total, honestly?
Not from a website — ours included. The five-tap fit quiz on our homepage gets you your tier class and your fuel flags in under a minute, which is most of what a phone quote pretends to know. The real number comes from a site visit that reads your nameplates, your panel, and your meter or tank — and hands you all seven line items in writing.
If a payment plan is part of the picture, read the six financing questions before anyone runs your credit. And the recoverable slice — insurance credits and resale appeal — is real but small; nobody’s generator pays for itself, whatever the brochure implies.