GerryFinds you the right pro in Lafayette
Gerry is an A.I. assistant. He can point you at a trade and take your details, and a person handles the work.
A standby generator installation means setting a permanent unit outside your house, running fuel to it, and wiring in an automatic transfer switch that disconnects you from the utility and starts the generator when the power drops. It is part electrical work and part gas or propane work, plus a concrete or composite pad to hold the unit. Done right, the whole thing runs a self-test and switches over on its own, whether you are home or not.
In Acadiana the generator earns its keep during hurricane season and the long summer outages that come with it, so the install has to survive the same weather it is protecting you from. The unit sits outside in heavy humidity and driving rain, so it needs to be sited off the ground, away from where water sheets during a downpour, and clear of the spot under the eaves where roof runoff hammers down. Our clay soil holds water and shifts, which is why the pad matters, a unit set straight on soft ground can settle and pull on its connections. Keep the enclosure clear of mulch and standing water too, because the same damp conditions that feed termites and rust around here go to work on anything sitting close to the dirt.
A homeowner can do the early legwork, picking the spot, clearing brush, measuring the distance to the panel, and deciding which circuits actually matter to you in an outage. The install itself is not a DIY job. It ties into your main electrical panel and into a gas or propane line, and getting either one wrong can start a fire, backfeed the utility line and hurt a lineman, or leak fuel. This is work that a licensed electrician and, for the fuel side, a qualified gas fitter should handle, and most parishes want it permitted and inspected. If you are handy, the right move is to prep the site and let the pros make the connections.
Every question is optional. The more you answer the faster somebody can come back with a real number, and the better we can match you to the right person, but a name and a number is enough to get started.
As much detail as you feel like giving, as little as you have to. A photo helps most.
30 businesses near you, ordered by their Google rating. Nobody paid to be here.
Ratings and review counts come from Google and were pulled on 15 August 2026. Businesses are listed because they serve Lafayette, not because they paid: nobody on this page has bought their position, and we have not inspected anyone's work. Call and ask for references the same way you would anyway.
It depends on what you want running during an outage. Backing up a few essentials like the fridge, some lights, and a window unit needs far less than running central air, a well pump, and the whole house at once. A good installer sizes the unit around your list, so make that list before anyone quotes you.
Often yes. Standby units are commonly set up for natural gas or propane, so if you already have a supply, the fuel side may be straightforward. The installer will check that your line and meter or tank can deliver enough fuel for the unit under load.
With an automatic transfer switch, yes. The switch senses the outage, disconnects you from the utility, and starts the generator on its own, then switches back when utility power returns. That is the difference between a standby unit and a portable one you have to start and connect by hand.
Almost certainly. Tying into your electrical panel and a fuel line is the kind of work parishes want permitted and inspected. Ask up front who is pulling the permit, and be wary of anyone who wants to skip it.
Outside, on a stable pad, a set distance from windows, doors, and the gas meter, and clear of where rain sheets off the roof. In our wet clay soil, siting it off the low spots and on a proper pad keeps water and settling from causing problems later. The installer will confirm the clearances required for your unit.
Gerry is an A.I. assistant. He can point you at a trade and take your details, and a person handles the work.