A standby generator starts itself when the grid drops and runs the house — furnace, sump pump, fridge, Wi-Fi, medical gear — until the power comes back. Our electricians wire the transfer switch, our licensed plumbers run the gas line, and we pull every permit. One crew, one schedule, one price in writing.
Free in-home estimate · we size it to the circuits you actually need
Licensed & insured · 2,000+ NJ projects · 7 years · a real person answers 24/7
A standby generator starts itself when the grid drops and runs the house — furnace, sump pump, fridge, Wi-Fi, medical gear — until the power comes back. Typical price: $9K – $18K. Licensed & insured, written itemized price before work starts, no deposit, one dedicated crew. Serving all 21 New Jersey counties from Paramus. Call (201) 676-3099 or book a free estimate.
Nor'easters, ice storms, summer thunderstorms and the odd hurricane. When the lines come down, the outage isn't the problem — it's what happens during it. The sump pump stops in the middle of the storm. The boiler goes cold and the pipes freeze. The fridge and the freezer thaw. Somebody's oxygen machine or CPAP has no plug.
A standby generator sits outside on a pad, tied to your gas line and your panel. When the utility drops out, the transfer switch disconnects the house from the grid, the generator starts, and the lights are back in about ten seconds. When the grid returns, it shuts itself off. It runs a self-test once a week so you know it works before you need it.
Automatic. Runs the whole house or the circuits you pick. Nobody has to be home, drag anything out of the garage or find gas cans at midnight. Costs more up front. This is the right answer for finished basements, boilers, well pumps and anyone with medical equipment.
You own a portable generator. We add a weatherproof inlet on the outside wall and a manual transfer switch or interlock in the panel, so you plug in one cord and flip one switch — no extension cords through the window, no backfeeding the grid and hurting a lineman. Cheapest safe option. You still have to be home and keep fuel around.
A 22 kW generator at full load pulls more gas than your furnace and water heater put together. Tie it into a line that's already at capacity and the furnace starves on the coldest night — exactly when the power is most likely to be out. Most generator dealers rent a gas fitter for this and hope. Our licensed master plumber sizes the whole house's load, runs the new line, pressure-tests it and handles the utility if the meter needs to be upsized. Same crew, same week, and one name on the permit.
The unit has to sit a set distance from windows, doors and fresh-air intakes, off the property line, and on a pad that won't sink. Some New Jersey towns want a zoning approval and a plot sketch; we draw it. Modern air-cooled units run about as loud as a central AC condenser during their weekly test and we set that test for a reasonable hour. If you're on a tight lot we'll show you where it can and can't legally go before you spend a dollar.
Based in Paramus, serving all 21 New Jersey counties — 219+ towns. Electricians and licensed plumbers on the same crew, permits pulled, price in writing, one project manager from the first visit to the load test.
typical fixed-price range — your exact number goes in writing after a free visit
A 14–18 kW unit with a transfer switch covering the essential circuits and a short gas run sits at the low end. A 22–26 kW unit on a 200-amp whole-house transfer switch, a long gas line, and a long wire run to the far side of the house sits at the top. A portable-generator inlet with a manual transfer switch or interlock runs $900 – $2.2K if you'd rather start there. Permits, pad, startup and the first oil change are in the number.
How we beat the big chains: The dealer networks add a middleman on the unit and then rent an electrician and a gas fitter you never meet. No franchise fees, no commissioned salesmen, no rented subcontractors — that's typically 15–30% under national-brand quotes for the same or better spec. Bring us any written quote and we'll match the scope line by line.
“The generator ran for six minutes in the first real outage and quit. Turned out the gas line was too small.”
“They sold me a 26 kW "whole house" unit. My house needed 18. I paid for eight kilowatts I'll never use.”
“It's been in for two years. Nobody ever came back for the oil change and now it won't start.”
You found a crew that is actually near you. First Call Contracting is based in Paramus, in Bergen County, and our own licensed techs handle generators in all 21 New Jersey counties — no call center, no subcontractor sent from two states away. Most of Bergen, Passaic, Hudson and Essex is 15 to 30 minutes from our shop, and emergencies go to the nearest crew, 24/7.
Closest to us: Bergen CountyPassaic CountyHudson CountyEssex CountyMorris CountyUnion CountyAll 21 counties & 219+ towns →
Call (201) 676-3099, text us a photo, or book a free in-home estimate — you get a written price before any work starts.
Most New Jersey homes land between 14 and 26 kW. It depends on whether you want everything running or just the essentials — furnace or boiler, sump pump, fridge, well pump, some lights and outlets. Central AC is the big one; a load-management module often lets a smaller unit carry it. We write the load list on the free visit and size from that.
Yes — an electrical permit for the transfer switch, a plumbing permit for the gas line, and often a zoning approval for the placement. Each gets an inspection. We file all of it and meet the inspectors. It's in the price.
Yes. We set the unit up for propane with a tank sized for a few days of run time and the regulator installed to the manufacturer's spec. The generator itself is the same; the fuel setup and the tank are the difference in price.
Once the unit is on hand and the permits are approved, most installs take one to two days: pad and unit on day one, gas, wiring and startup on day two. Permit and zoning approval usually adds two to four weeks in front of that. After a big storm, units themselves can be on backorder — order before the season if you can.
An oil and filter change about once a year or after a long outage, a battery every few years, and a look at the air filter and plugs. It runs itself for a few minutes each week as a test. We offer an annual service visit, or we'll show you how to do it yourself.
If you're anywhere in New Jersey, yes. First Call Contracting is based in Paramus and handles generators across all 21 counties with our own licensed crew. Most of Bergen, Passaic, Hudson and Essex is 15 to 30 minutes from our shop, and emergencies are dispatched to the nearest crew 24/7. Call (201) 676-3099 or book a free in-home estimate.
Standby or inlet · gas line by our own plumbers · permits included
Or call Alex direct: (201) 676-3099
A real person picks up every hour of every day. We tell you what to shut off first, then send the nearest crew.