Transfer Switch Installation in Houston, TX

A transfer switch is the part that makes backup power safe

Your generator makes electricity. The transfer switch decides where that electricity is allowed to go.

It disconnects your house from the utility line first. Then it connects the generator. That order matters. It is what stops power from flowing back out to the street.

Electricians call that backflow backfeeding. It can injure the crews restoring your power. It can also damage your own wiring when the grid comes back on.

CenterPoint must approve your transfer switch before it is installed

This is the step most Houston homeowners do not hear about until it blocks them.

CenterPoint Energy asks you to submit a transfer switch approval application before the switch goes in. They review it against their service standards and the National Electrical Code.

They look at three things. First, the switch has to be open transition. That means it breaks the utility connection before it makes the generator connection. Second, it cannot sit on the high side of the meter, or between the meter and its socket jaws. Third, it has to be service entrance rated, or sit behind a main protective device.

CenterPoint says a complete application usually gets a response within two business days. We fill it out and send it, so the paperwork is moving while we schedule the work.

Houston issues the electrical permit only to a registered master electrician

A standby generator and its transfer switch need a City of Houston electrical permit. The city will not issue that permit to a homeowner.

It goes to registered master electricians whose license is in good standing with the city. An inspection is part of the permit, and the permit stays valid for 180 days.

RBG Services holds Texas electrical contractor license TECL #38858. We pull the permit and keep a copy on site. We meet the inspector too, so you do not lose a work day.

Automatic switches take over on their own. Manual switches wait for you.

An automatic transfer switch watches the utility line. When it drops, the switch isolates your house, starts the generator, and moves your circuits over. When city power returns, it switches back and shuts the generator down.

A manual transfer switch does the same job, but you throw it yourself. It costs less and it is a reasonable choice for a portable generator you only pull out for a storm.

Most Houston homes with a permanently installed standby unit end up automatic. Hurricane season runs June through November, and outages here rarely wait until someone is home.

How we size and place your switch

We start at your panel, not at a catalog. We look at your main breaker rating. We look at the circuits you actually need during an outage. And we look at how your service sits at the meter.

Whole house switches carry everything. Essential circuit switches carry a chosen set. Usually that means the refrigerator, a pump, a few outlets, and the HVAC if the generator can carry it.

Placement is governed as much by CenterPoint's rules as by convenience. We site the switch where it will pass their review. It also has to be reachable later, without moving anything.

What installation day looks like

Most residential transfer switch installations are a one day job once the approval and permit are in hand.

We shut off power at the meter and mount the switch. Then we run conduit between the panel, the switch and the generator. Last we land the conductors and set the controls. Then we test it by simulating an outage, so you see it run.

The city inspection follows. We are there for it. Once it passes, your system is legal to use. That is the part that matters when the next storm comes through.