On this page 3 sections
Commercial generator electrical is the transfer, feeders, and load list — the set itself is a different purchase
Commercial generator work on this job is the electrical: the transfer switch, the feeders, the loads, and the utility coordination. The generator set itself is a different purchase. Both have to match.
The switch
The equipment that actually transfers is an automatic transfer switch.
Legally required loads
Egress, fire, and occupancy that must stay on are emergency-power distribution.
A defined optional subset
Operations that should survive, but are not the legal set, are critical-load distribution.
A commercial generator is sized and sited to the set — fuel, exhaust, and a load list that is real
Matching the electrical to the generator is more than a feeder: the pad or frame, the exhaust and combustion air for an indoor set, and the utility interconnection all have to be right before a transfer proves out.
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Sited, not just wired
A pad, vibration isolation, exhaust routing, and combustion air are part of the install for anything but a small outdoor unit. Electrical that ignores the mechanical fails the first hot day.
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Sized to the whole list
The set and its feeders are sized to the real load, its inrush, and any motor starting — not the sum of the nameplates, and not a round kilowatt figure from a brochure.
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Interconnected and witnessed
The utility coordination and a witnessed load-transfer test are how the job is actually finished — a set that never transferred under load is not commissioned.
When commercial generator electrical isn’t the right job
The building side of a generator is this job. The switch that transfers, or legally required emergency, are not.
Only the transfer switch is the problem
That is an automatic transfer switch.
The occupancy named legally required emergency
That is emergency-power distribution.
Commercial generator electrical questions
Do you sell the generator?
The set is a different purchase. This job is the electrical that has to match it — transfer, feeders, and a load list that is real in the panel.
We already have a generator. We need the switch.
That is an automatic transfer switch. This job is when the building side — switch, feeders, and loads — is the job together.
Is everything on the generator emergency power?
No. Legally required loads are emergency-power distribution. Mixing them with optional standby is how inspections fail.
The last test did not transfer.
Then the load list, the switch, or the feeders did not match the set. We prove the transfer before anyone calls it done.
What size generator do I need for a commercial building?
The critical-load list and the starting current of the largest motor. We calculate from that list.
Still not sure it is the right job? Call (279) 972-9272 — available 24 hours.
Serving 19 communities across the Sacramento area
Litel Electric serves businesses throughout all 19 communities in our service area — from Davis and Woodland to Roseville, Folsom, and Elk Grove.
Get estimate
Tell us what is happening, or what you are planning. We read the details, tell you what else we need to know, and explain the next step before anything is scheduled.
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You send the problem or the plan, with the address if you have it.
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We reply with what it involves and what has to be seen in person.
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Nothing is scheduled, and nothing is priced, until the equipment has been looked at.
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- CSLB #1115460 · C-10 electrical