Standby generators and transfer switches for Duncansville homes, businesses and plants.
Generator installation means setting a permanent standby unit outside the building, connecting it to a fuel supply, and tying it into the electrical service through a transfer switch so it can pick up the load when the utility drops. Adams Electric, a full-service electrician in Duncansville, does this for houses, commercial buildings and industrial facilities. Request an estimate or call 814-944-4621 and an electrician will come out and look at the property.
Standby power is bought for the hours the utility is not there. The U.S. Energy Information Administration reported that electricity customers averaged about 11 hours of power interruptions in 2024, most of it from major weather events:
Those are national averages, not Blair County figures. Two hours a year is an inconvenience. A long outage in January is a cold house, a sump pump that has stopped and, on a well, no water.
The unit sits outside on a pad, positioned for clearance and for the runs it needs. The installation covers:
The transfer switch matters most. It stops the generator from back-feeding the utility line, which protects line crews as well as the building. An automatic switch changes over with nobody present; a manual switch costs less to install but someone has to throw it.
Sizing starts with what you want running, not a model number. A whole-house generator carries the full panel. A smaller unit carries selected circuits, typically:
Motor loads and electric heat push the size up: pumps, blowers and air-conditioning compressors draw far more power starting than running. That is why Adams Electric quotes a backup generator after a load calculation at the property, not over the phone.
The transfer switch is fed from the service and feeds whatever is being backed up. If the existing panel is full, old or already undersized, the generator work and the panel work are really one project.
Planning both together means the power is off once instead of twice, and the switch is installed against equipment that will still be right for years. See electrical panel upgrades in Duncansville for that side of the work.
For a facility the question is what stops when the power does:
Adams Electric’s commercial and industrial generator installation sits alongside equipment wiring installation, electric heating installations and the rest of its plant work. On a commercial job the transfer switch is specified around the distribution the generator has to pick up, and if the building is near the limit of its capacity the switchboard question applies too. For the wider picture, see commercial electrical contracting in Duncansville.
An electrician looks at what you want backed up, where a unit could sit, what fuel is available, and the condition of the existing panel and service. From that you get:
Adams Electric also installs generators in Hollidaysburg, and covers the rest of the home’s electrical work on the residential services page.
Yes. Duncansville is a regular service area. Adams Electric works Altoona, Duncansville, Hollidaysburg and the surrounding communities from its shop at 870 31st St in Altoona.
That depends on what you want to keep running. A whole-house generator carries the full panel; a smaller standby unit carries selected circuits such as heat, the well or sump pump, the refrigerator and some lights and outlets. Adams Electric works out the load at the property and sizes the unit to it.
Yes. A permanently installed generator is permitted and inspected work under Pennsylvania's Uniform Construction Code, enforced by the municipality's code official or by a third-party inspection agency.
Sometimes. The transfer switch has to land on the service, and an older or already full panel can turn a generator hookup into two jobs. It is worth knowing that before the work is scheduled.
With an automatic transfer switch, yes. It senses the loss of utility power, starts the generator and moves the load across without anyone at home, then moves it back when the utility returns.
Family owned and serving Altoona, Duncansville, Hollidaysburg and the surrounding areas since 1919.
Adams Electric is a family-owned, licensed and insured electrical contractor that has worked in Central Pennsylvania since 1919, on homes, commercial buildings and industrial plants.
Serving Altoona, Duncansville, Hollidaysburg and the surrounding areas for more than 100 years.
The generator, the transfer switch and the panel it lands on are handled by the same team.
Founded and still family owned
Industrial service project in Duncansville
And insured electricians
8:00 AM – 4:00 PM
Get an estimate for your generator installation by filling out the form or calling the team. Adams Electric works in Duncansville, Altoona, Hollidaysburg and the surrounding communities.
