Generator installation in Calabasas and Hidden Hills.

Why here is different

Fire zone, ridgeline shutoffs, and an architectural committee.

Calabasas and Hidden Hills sit in a very high fire hazard severity zone on the hills where the Woolsey Fire burned in 2018, and Southern California Edison de-energizes the ridgelines and canyons here in most autumn wind events. The estates in Hidden Hills, The Oaks, Mountain View Estates and Calabasas Park are large, with gates, barns, pool equipment, guest houses and several air conditioning systems, so the generator is sized for a real load, not a rule of thumb.

Both cities have their own building departments and both communities review anything on the outside of a house through a homeowners association architectural committee before the city looks at it. A generator pad, visible conduit and an exterior panel all count. County Line prepares that submittal, with Generac's drawings and a site plan, as the first step of the job rather than a surprise at the end.

Calabasas and Hidden Hills generator questions

In writing

What the estimate lists, line by line.

A generator estimate that says "installed" and a number is not an estimate. County Line's names every part, so two bids can be compared on the same page.

• The unit: Generac model, kilowatt rating, air-cooled or liquid-cooled, and the load calculation it was sized from
• The automatic transfer switch: amperage, whole-house or critical loads, and where it mounts
• The pad and the location, with the clearances to windows, doors and the property line
• The fuel: natural gas line size and run, or the propane tank, regulator and line, and who does that work
• The electrical: conduit, wire, breakers, surge protection, any panel work the house needs first
• The permit and inspection, and the HOA submittal where there is one
• Startup and a simulated outage with you present
• The twice-yearly service plan: $600 a year, both visits, and what each visit covers

Timing

When to buy a generator, honestly.

The right time is spring and early summer. Shutoff season in Southern California runs from September into December, when the Santa Ana winds arrive, and that is when everyone calls. Lead times on Generac units and on permits stretch, gas work gets booked out, and a generator ordered in October may not be running until the season is over. A unit ordered in April is installed, inspected and exercised before the first red flag warning.

County Line says this on every generator page because it is true and because a customer who plans ahead gets a better installation: time to size it properly, time to place the pad well, time to get the HOA and the permit done without a rush.

Service

The $600 service, and why the price is on the page.

A standby generator is an engine that waits outside for years, and the twice-yearly service is what keeps it ready: oil and filter changes, the battery, a load test under real load, the transfer switch contacts, the exercise schedule and any fault codes in the controller. County Line charges $600 a year for both visits. Jeff Tucker's own comparison, which anyone can check with two phone calls, is that the large generator installers in Ventura and Los Angeles counties quote about $1,000 for the same work.

The price is published because a price that has to be asked for is a price that can change. It applies to units County Line installed and to units installed by someone else.