Automatic Transfer Switches Explained for Marin Homeowners
An automatic transfer switch (ATS) is the device that safely connects your home to a backup generator, sensing an outage, isolating the house from the grid, and switching to generator power on its own — then switching back when the grid returns. Its two jobs are seamlessness and safety: it restores power without you touching anything, and it prevents dangerous backfeed onto utility lines. A licensed electrician installs it between your panel and generator, and it’s the piece that turns a generator into a real backup system.
Sizing a Standby Generator for Your Marin Household
Sizing a standby generator means matching its capacity to the loads your household actually needs to run during an outage — not buying the biggest unit on the shelf. A licensed electrician runs a load assessment, identifies which circuits must stay on, accounts for how motors and appliances start, and specifies a generator sized to that real demand. Right-sizing keeps you powered without paying for capacity you’ll never use. The number comes from your home, not a rule of thumb.
Backup Power for Marin Businesses: Staying Open Through a PSPS
Commercial backup power is a standby generator and transfer system that keeps a business running when the grid goes down — including during a Public Safety Power Shutoff. For North Bay businesses, it protects revenue, refrigeration, data, and safety systems through outages that can last days. A licensed electrician calculates the loads that must stay on, sizes the system to them, and installs a transfer switch that moves the building from grid to generator. It’s planned around what your operation genuinely can’t afford to lose.
Whole-Home Standby Generators vs. Portable: Which Fits Your Marin Home?
A whole-home standby generator is permanently installed, starts automatically during an outage, runs on natural gas or propane, and can power most of the house. A portable generator costs less, covers selected essential circuits, and needs manual startup and refueling. The right choice depends on your must-run loads, your budget, and how hands-off you want to be. Both connect through a transfer switch installed by a licensed electrician. If a portable setup covers your needs, we’ll say so.
PSPS Season Is Coming: A North Bay Backup-Power Readiness Checklist
A Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS) is a planned, preventive power cutoff PG&E uses during high fire-risk weather in the North Bay. Getting ready means deciding what you need to keep running, choosing between a portable or whole-home standby generator, and — critically — connecting it through a proper transfer switch so power can’t backfeed onto utility lines. A licensed electrician sizes and installs that safe connection. If a simpler setup covers your needs, we’ll say so.