Stamford Home Generators | Whole House Generator Installation, Standby Generators, Generac & Kohler Installers, Repair & Maintenance

The Guardian series runs from 14 to 26 kW, and that range covers most Fairfield County homes. In our opinion the 22 kW unit is where a four-bedroom colonial with central air should start the conversation; the 24 kW is for houses with a second air handler or an electric range. Every one ships with Mobile Link monitoring, and Generac’s limited warranty is registered in your name at startup. Generac is also the brand most installers here stock parts for, which matters more in week two of an outage than on install day.

Kohler makes its own engines, and it shows in the liquid-cooled line: residential models from 20 to 38 kW for houses that would push an air-cooled unit past its limit. The air-cooled range runs 14 to 26 kW, same as Generac. We think Kohler’s quieter enclosure is worth a look on the tight Stamford and Darien lots where the pad ends up ten or fifteen feet from a neighbor’s bedroom window. Pricey? A little. On a lot like that it is money well spent.

On the gas main, the generator runs as long as the outage does. The catch is the meter. A meter sized for a furnace and a range often cannot feed a 22 kW generator too, so the gas utility has to confirm or upgrade it before the unit is ordered, and that request can take weeks. A gas fitter makes the final connection, with a shutoff valve and a sediment trap at the unit. Most homes from downtown Stamford down to the shore are on the main; many further north are not.

North Stamford, back-country Greenwich and much of New Canaan sit beyond the gas main, so the generator runs on propane. A buried tank of 500 gallons gives a 22 kW unit several days at a normal load; 1,000 gallons is the safer choice for a big house or a family that wants a full week. The installer sizes the tank against the unit, sets the trench route and coordinates the propane company. Keep the tank filled before storm season, because delivery trucks are booked solid once a storm is named.

The switch is the part nobody photographs and the part that decides how the system behaves. It watches utility power, isolates the house when it drops, and hands the load back when it returns. A service-rated whole-house switch replaces the main disconnect; an essential-circuit switch feeds a chosen subpanel. Older Fairfield County houses with 100 amp panels or a full breaker box often need the panel addressed first, and that is a line the site visit puts on the quote, not a surprise on install day.

Size comes from the panel, not a guess: central air, a well pump, an electric range, an EV charger and a second furnace all count. A load management module can let a 22 kW unit run a house that would otherwise need 26 kW.

Composite or poured concrete pads set level on compacted stone, at the distances the manufacturer requires from windows, doors and the gas meter, and inside the town’s setback from the lot line. Coastal lots may need the pad raised above flood level.

Air-cooled units cover homes up to about 26 kW and cost less to buy and service. Liquid-cooled units run cooler, longer and quieter, and suit estates of 8,000 square feet and up or homes that expect multi-day outages.

Briggs & Stratton and Cummins also build home standby units in the same size range. The installer’s service after the sale matters more than the badge, so ask who carries parts locally before choosing a brand.

A house on a private well loses water when it loses power, and a basement with a sump pump floods. Both are the first circuits on the load list, and the reason many Fairfield County homeowners call after one bad storm.

A home battery covers a short outage silently and pairs with solar; a standby generator covers a week. Generac PWRcell and similar systems can sit beside a generator, and the site visit can price both so the choice is clear.