Short answer: verify the electrical license, confirm they pull the permit, ask how they sized the unit, get the full scope in writing, and find out who services it afterward. An installer who cannot answer those five clearly is not the right one, regardless of price.
Most homeowners hire a generator installer exactly once, with no basis for comparison and a quote in front of them that is hard to evaluate. This is what separates a good installation from one that causes problems later.
We install these for a living, so read this knowing that. But everything below is checkable, and any competent installer will answer all of it without hesitating.
1. What is your electrical license number?
A whole-home generator install is electrical work, and in Texas that requires a licensed electrical contractor. Depending on fuel setup, gas work may be involved too.
Ask for the number and verify it. A legitimate contractor puts it on their truck, their website, and their paperwork. If someone is vague about licensing, that is the end of the conversation.
Ask about insurance the same way — general liability and workers compensation. If someone is injured on your property, that matters a great deal.
2. Who is actually doing the work?
Some companies sell the job and subcontract the install to whoever is available. That is not automatically bad, but you should know, because it affects accountability when something needs fixing eighteen months later.
Ask directly: are your own technicians doing this, or a subcontractor? And who do I call if there is a problem next year?
3. Do you pull the permit and handle the inspection?
A generator install needs a permit and an inspection. This is not a formality.
If an installer suggests skipping the permit, or implies it is unnecessary for a residential job, walk away. Unpermitted electrical work can create problems with insurance claims and with the eventual sale of your house, and the inspection exists to catch mistakes that could cause a fire.
The right answer is that the installer pulls the permit and manages the inspection as part of the job. How permits work in this area.
4. How did you determine the size?
This is the question that separates a real assessment from a guess.
A proper sizing conversation involves your actual electrical panel, your actual appliances, how many tons of air conditioning you run, whether you have a well pump, and what you want running during an outage. It should involve someone physically looking at the house.
If a quote arrives with a generator size on it and nobody asked what you run, that number came from square footage and a rule of thumb. Sometimes that lands fine. Sometimes it produces a unit that runs hot for fifteen years, or one you overpaid for substantially. More on sizing.
5. What exactly is included in this price?
Generator quotes vary wildly because they cover different things. Ask specifically what is in and what is out:
- The generator unit itself
- The concrete pad or composite base
- The transfer switch
- Electrical work and any panel modifications
- Gas line work, or the propane tank and its setup
- Permit fees
- Startup, testing, and configuration
- Haul-away of packaging and any old equipment
- First-year maintenance or a service plan
A low quote missing the pad, the gas work, and the permit is not a low quote. It is an incomplete one, and the difference shows up as change orders.
6. Whole-house or essential circuits, and why?
The transfer switch determines what actually gets powered, and there is a real decision inside it: whole-house coverage, or essential circuits with load management.
An installer who explains that tradeoff is doing the job properly. One who does not mention it is selling a package. Load management in particular can let a smaller, cheaper generator cover a larger house without you noticing the difference. What a transfer switch does.
7. Who services it afterward?
This is the one people forget, and the one that matters most in year four.
A generator is an engine that needs annual service and will eventually need a repair. Ask:
- Do you service what you install, or does that go to someone else?
- Do you offer maintenance plans?
- What is your response time when a unit fails during an outage?
- Do you stock common parts, or is everything ordered in?
- Will you service the unit if I did not buy it from you?
An installer who does not service their own installations is handing you a problem for later. What maintenance actually involves.
8. What are the warranties, and who honors them?
There are usually two: the manufacturer warranty on the equipment, and the installer warranty on labor. Ask for both in writing, and ask specifically who you call to make a claim.
A manufacturer warranty is worth considerably less if the local company that installed it has closed and nobody nearby is authorized to service the brand.
9. Can I see a recent local install?
A straightforward request that a confident installer will meet easily. It also gives you a chance to hear a running unit, which settles the noise question better than any specification sheet. How loud they actually are.
Reading reviews properly
Volume matters less than pattern. Read the middling reviews rather than the five-star ones, and look at whether the company responds to them.
What you are looking for: do problems get resolved, or argued about? A company with a few complaints handled well is a better bet than one with no complaints and no track record.
Red flags
- Pressure to sign today, or a discount that expires this afternoon
- A quote given over the phone without seeing the house
- Suggesting the permit is unnecessary
- Vague or missing license information
- A large cash deposit demanded up front
- No written scope of work
- Cannot explain why they sized the unit the way they did
- Does not service what they install
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a licensed electrician to install a generator?
Yes. A permanently installed standby generator is electrical work requiring a licensed electrical contractor, plus a permit and inspection.
How long does a generator installation take?
The on-site work is often completed in a day or two for a straightforward install, but the overall timeline includes permitting, inspection, and equipment lead time.
Should I buy the generator myself and hire someone to install it?
Usually not recommended. It complicates warranty coverage and many installers will not warrant labor on equipment they did not supply.
What if my installer goes out of business?
This is why service capability and brand parts availability matter at the point of purchase, not just price. Ask who else locally services the brand.
Do you install generators you did not sell?
Policies vary by company. Ask directly rather than assuming either way.
If you want a quote that answers all of this
We are licensed, we pull the permit, our own technicians do the work, and we service what we install — including units we did not put in.
Call 281-259-2182 · See what our customers say
Serving Montgomery, Waller, and Grimes counties and the greater Houston area