When the power goes out, a standby generator starts on its own and keeps your home running. Atlas Electric supplies and installs Kohler natural gas standby generators for homes around Charleston and the Kanawha Valley, and we run the gas line ourselves. That means one company and one crew for the whole job. We also set up portable generator hookups for homes without gas.
Call or text 681-322-3294 for a free estimate.
Anyone who was in the Kanawha Valley in late June 2012 remembers the derecho. About 688,000 homes and businesses in West Virginia lost power, Kanawha County was among the hardest hit, and restoration took more than a week for many people. Storms do not have to be that big to cause trouble, either. A few hours without power can mean no heat, no sump pump, no well pump and no refrigerator.
Most standby installs need two trades: an electrician for the transfer switch and wiring, and someone else to run gas to the generator. Atlas Electric does both. We run the natural gas line from your meter to the generator and handle all of the electrical work, so you are not coordinating two contractors or waiting on one to finish before the other can start.
We size the generator to what you want to keep running, whether that is a few essential circuits or most of the house. Already have a generator? Ask us about installing it. If your panel needs work first, we will tell you up front. See panel upgrades.
Our standby generators run on natural gas, so the first question is whether your home has gas service or can get it. Mountaineer Gas serves Kanawha and Putnam counties, and gas is common in older neighborhoods. Census figures show about 65 percent of South Charleston households and about 60 percent of Charleston households heat with utility gas. In areas like Hurricane and Cross Lanes, most homes heat with electricity, and gas may or may not be on your street.
If gas is not available, a portable generator setup is the way to go. See below.
A portable generator setup is a lower cost way to keep essentials running. We install an outdoor inlet box where you plug in the generator, and an Interlock Kit panel interlock that keeps the main breaker and the generator breaker from being on at the same time. That keeps power from feeding back onto the utility lines and lets you choose which circuits to run, like the furnace blower, refrigerator, sump pump and a few lights.
It also means no more extension cords through a window. We size the inlet for your generator, and we pull the permit and handle the inspection.
A generator that sits for a year without service is not one you want to count on. We offer generator maintenance, including oil and filter changes, battery replacement, and troubleshooting when a unit will not start or will not transfer.
Call or text 681-322-3294, or contact us online, to start a free generator estimate. We ask what you want to keep running, visit to check the gas meter, panel and placement, and give you a written quote before installation.
Yes. Atlas Electric supplies and installs Kohler natural gas standby generators. If you already have a generator, ask us about installing it.
Yes. Atlas Electric runs the natural gas line from the meter to the generator and handles all of the electrical work, so one crew covers the whole install.
It depends on what you want to keep running during an outage. We look at your panel and major loads and size the generator to cover either essential circuits or most of the home.
It senses when utility power goes out, starts the generator and moves your home onto generator power, then switches back when utility power returns.
Our standby generators run on natural gas. Without gas service, we can set you up for a portable generator with an inlet hookup and an Interlock Kit panel interlock to power essential circuits safely.
It can, if the generator is sized for it. Many homeowners choose to cover essential circuits instead, and load management can let large appliances share the generator. We walk you through both options during the free estimate.