How much does a home standby generator cost in Ontario?

A home generator is one of those purchases where the sticker price of the unit is only part of the story — installation often costs as much as the equipment. Here's the real 2026 picture for Ontario homeowners.

Standby generator: total installed cost

A permanently installed standby generator typically runs $8,000–$18,000 installed, broken down roughly as:

• The unit and automatic transfer switch: $4,000–$10,000, depending on size (kW) and brand.
• Installation — electrical wiring, transfer switch hookup, concrete or composite pad, gas connection, and permits: $4,000–$8,000.

A smaller generator backing up essential circuits sits at the low end; a whole-home unit sized to run central air and heavy loads sits at the high end. The automatic transfer switch is what makes a standby system hands-off — it senses the outage, starts the generator, and switches your home over within seconds, then switches back when utility power returns.

What size — and how it changes the price

Sizing is the single biggest cost lever. A 10–14 kW unit covers the essentials most people care about in an outage: furnace, fridge and freezer, sump pump, some lights and outlets, internet. Add central air conditioning, electric heat, or an EV charger to the must-run list and you move into 18–24 kW or larger, which costs more for both the unit and the heavier electrical work. An electrician sizes the generator from a proper load calculation, so you neither overpay for capacity you won't use nor undersize and trip it during an outage.

The portable alternative

If automatic, whole-home backup isn't the priority, a portable generator paired with a manual transfer switch or generator inlet is far cheaper — roughly $1,500–$4,000 all in. You roll it out, fuel it, and start it yourself, and a properly installed transfer switch lets it safely power selected circuits in your panel. The trade-offs are obvious: you have to be home, fuel it with gasoline, and it powers less. But for occasional outages it's a sensible, budget-friendly option, and the transfer-switch install is the part you want done by a licensed electrician — never backfeed a generator through a dryer outlet, which is dangerous and illegal.

What affects your quote

Beyond size, the variables are: distance from the generator location to the panel and the gas line (longer runs cost more), gas supply (natural gas needs a TSSA-licensed gas fitter and sometimes a meter upgrade; propane needs a tank), electrical capacity (a panel upgrade may be needed to add the transfer switch), and the pad and placement to meet clearance rules from windows and the property line.

Permits and who does the work

A standby install requires an ESA electrical permit and inspection for the transfer switch and wiring, and the gas connection falls under TSSA rules requiring a licensed gas fitter. City Power handles the electrical side and coordinates the rest so it's one project, not three. We size, supply, and install home generators across the GTA — call 416-837-4038 or request a free estimate and we'll spec the right system from your actual loads.