Whole-home standby generators that start themselves within seconds of an outage — sized for your actual load, permitted, and installed across the Santa Clarita and San Fernando Valleys.
When SCE shuts down the grid for wildfire season, it doesn't send much warning. Public-safety shutoffs across SCE's territory have increased every fire season since 2018 — the five-day outage your neighbor survived last October may become a week-long event next year.
A backup generator keeps your refrigerator running, your security system active, and medical equipment like a CPAP powered. For homes near the edge of the Angeles National Forest, you're either ready before the grid goes down or you're not.
An undersized generator can't start large appliances and trips itself; an oversized one costs more to run. We size your system on your home's actual electrical load — not a rule-of-thumb or a number on a spec sheet.
A standby generator lives outside your home on a concrete pad, connected to your natural gas or propane line, and it starts automatically — within seconds of an outage the automatic transfer switch disconnects you from the grid and switches to generator power, often before you notice the lights flickered. We're listed as a Generac Select Dealer on Generac's own dealer locator, and we're not tied to a single manufacturer — so we can compare your options honestly rather than steering you toward the one line we carry. We confirm your gas line capacity, check whether your panel can handle the generator load, pull the electrical and gas permits, coordinate the utility shutoff, and commission and test the system before walking you through how it runs during an outage.
Your city issues the building permit. A separate air district regulates the engine itself. Santa Clarita and Valley Glen both fall under South Coast AQMD, and the rules below are its own.
| What applies | The rule | What it means for your install |
|---|---|---|
| Standby engines over 50 brake horsepower | Require a South Coast AQMD permit to construct | We confirm the engine's bhp rating before filing |
| CARB-registered portable generators | May not operate during ISO Stage II or Stage III alerts | SCAQMD-permitted engines may, subject to permit terms |
| Standby engines, as SCAQMD defines them | Run 200 hours a year or less — emergencies and testing | Natural-gas engines can be permitted for more hours |
Source: South Coast AQMD, Emergency Generators guidance — https://www.aqmd.gov/home/permits/emergency-generators (read 2026-08-20), which states that internal combustion engines greater than 50 brake horsepower and gas turbines greater than 2,975,000 Btu per hour are required to obtain a permit to construct prior to installation. South Coast AQMD's jurisdiction covers Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside and San Bernardino counties, which includes our Santa Clarita and Valley Glen service areas. Thousand Oaks and Simi Valley are in Ventura County, outside that jurisdiction and subject to the Ventura County Air Pollution Control District's separate requirements — which district applies, and which rules, depends on the address. Brake horsepower is not consistently shown on residential product specifications, and kilowatt output alone does not establish whether the 50 bhp threshold is met; we confirm the applicable engine rating for the selected model before filing.
A standby system sized to run your entire house during an outage. Right for homes that want every circuit live — HVAC, kitchen, EV charging, home office — with no decisions to make when the power drops.
A system that powers the circuits you designate — refrigerator, HVAC, a few outlets, medical equipment — at lower cost than whole-home coverage. Right for homes that want the essentials protected without sizing for the whole load.
We visit your home, evaluate your electrical panel, confirm your gas line capacity, and talk through what you need powered during an outage — including whether your current panel can handle the generator load or whether a panel upgrade should happen first.
Generator capacity is measured in kilowatts. We size your system on your actual load — HVAC, appliances, and anything specific to your household like medical equipment or an EV charger — with a margin for future additions, rather than a rough estimate.
Generator installation in LA County and Ventura County requires electrical and gas permits. A separate air district also regulates the engine itself — South Coast AQMD across Santa Clarita and Valley Glen, the Ventura County APCD in Thousand Oaks and Simi Valley, each with its own requirements. Under South Coast AQMD, engines rated over 50 brake horsepower need a permit to construct before installation. We handle the applications, coordinate the inspections, and manage utility-shutoff scheduling so you're not navigating the bureaucracy solo.
The generator is mounted on a concrete pad we pour or coordinate, the automatic transfer switch is installed at your panel, and the gas line is extended or connected. The system is then commissioned and tested. Most residential installations finish in one to two days on-site.
We walk you through operation: what to expect during an outage, how to monitor system status, and what annual maintenance looks like. We hand over the manufacturer documentation and registration details for your system so the warranty terms — which are set by the manufacturer, not by us — are yours to read and keep.
Serving Santa Clarita, Valencia, Stevenson Ranch, Castaic, Newhall, and surrounding communities.
View Santa Clarita →Serving Valley Glen, North Hollywood, Van Nuys, Sherman Oaks, Burbank, and Northridge.
View Valley Glen →We'll walk your property, evaluate your system, and give you a clear, plain-English plan — with a fixed quote you can take to the bank.
