Whole-Home Generator Installation

We’ll be straight about this one: Neighbors Electric is based in Crowley, on the south Fort Worth side of the metroplex, and Irving is on the Dallas side — roughly 40 to 50 minutes away depending on where in Irving and how I-30 or I-20 traffic is running. It’s a longer haul than most of our service area, and we’re not going to pretend otherwise. What that means in practice: we schedule Irving generator installs as planned visits, not drop-in calls, and we’re upfront about drive time when we’re putting together a quote.

Irving is a dense, built-out inner suburb, home to Las Colinas and a mix of established residential neighborhoods and newer development near the DFW airport corridor. It’s part of the Mid-Cities region of the metroplex, sitting in Dallas County rather than Tarrant. Homeowners here have the same reasons to look at standby power as anyone else in North Texas: Winter Storm Uri in February 2021 left large parts of the state, Dallas County included, without grid power for days, and summer peak-demand strain on ERCOT has kept the conversation going since. A standby generator with an automatic transfer switch means the home keeps running without anyone dragging out a portable unit at 2 a.m.

What Goes Into a Whole-Home Standby Install

This isn’t a plug-and-go appliance. A proper installation covers several distinct pieces of work that all have to be coordinated:

• Load calculation and sizing. We size the generator in kW based on what the home actually needs to run — HVAC, refrigeration, key circuits, or the whole panel — rather than guessing at a number.
• Automatic transfer switch installation. The ATS ties into the home’s main electrical panel, monitors utility power, and switches the home’s load to the generator the moment an outage is detected, then switches back automatically once utility power is stable again.
• Pad placement. The generator sits on a dedicated pad, positioned to meet manufacturer clearance requirements from windows, doors, and property lines, and set level so the unit runs correctly for years.
• Gas line coordination. Standby units run on natural gas or propane, and getting the fuel supply sized and connected correctly requires coordinating with a licensed gas contractor or the utility — that piece runs alongside the electrical work, not after it.
• Permits and inspection. Electrical and gas permits are both typically required, and the finished install has to pass inspection on both fronts before it’s considered complete. In Irving, that means working through Dallas County and City of Irving permitting rather than Tarrant County, which is a different process than most of our other service area.

We install and service standby generators as licensed electricians, not as an authorized dealer for any specific manufacturer — we’ll help a homeowner weigh options honestly rather than push one brand.

The Local Angle for Irving

A lot of Irving’s housing stock, particularly around Las Colinas and the older residential pockets near downtown, was built well before current code, which means panel capacity and gas service sizing need a real look before we quote a generator install — not an assumption. Because Irving sits in Dallas County, permitting and inspection timelines can run a little differently than what we’re used to on the Tarrant County side of our territory, and we build that into scheduling rather than promising a Fort Worth-area timeline on a Dallas County job.

Why Licensing Isn’t Optional Here

Neighbors Electric holds Texas Electrical Contractor License #41555, which is what allows us to pull electrical permits and perform this kind of work legally, including on the Dallas County side of the metroplex. The transfer switch is the part that matters most from a safety standpoint: wired incorrectly, it can backfeed power onto utility lines that crews assume are dead, which is a real hazard to anyone working the grid during an outage. A licensed install means the switch is wired to isolate the home completely, the gas connection is coordinated with a licensed gas contractor, and the whole system passes inspection instead of getting flagged.

A Flat-Rate Quote, Even on a Longer Drive

We don’t pad the quote to cover the drive to Irving and then bury it in the line items. We walk the property, check the panel and gas service, size the generator to the home, and hand over one flat-rate number before work starts. Call (817) 533-0943 or use our contact page to schedule a visit.

Beyond installation, we also handle generator repair for existing units, electrical panel upgrades for homes whose service isn’t ready for a standby system yet, and whole-house surge protection to protect the electronics that stay powered during an outage. Our full approach to standby power is on the whole-home generator installation page, and our Irving electrician page covers the rest of what we do in the area.