Home generators for Ocala, Marion and Sumter
Your AC, fridge, well pump and medical equipment keep running when the grid goes down. One request gets you a licensed local installer and a written price.
Hurricane Milton, Oct 10, 2024
70,394Marion County electric customers out, 31.3% at the Florida PSC 9 AM report
Or call (352) 780-1430. A licensed installer who serves your area calls back, usually within one business day.
The outage is the easy part. The heat is not.
Most storms here take the power out for hours. The bad ones take it for days, in September, with the windows shut and the humidity climbing. At the Florida PSC's 9 AM report on October 10, 2024, Hurricane Milton had 70,394 Marion County customers dark, and 21,912 in Sumter County; the county later put its own peak near 75,000. Hurricane Irma in 2017 was worse: about two thirds of Marion customers lost power.
Without power, the air conditioning stops first. Then the refrigerator warms, and with it any insulin or medicine that has to stay cold. On a private well the water stops too, because the pump is electric. Horses still need water and fans. Home offices go dark. A portable generator helps a little, but someone has to fuel it, start it and keep it a safe distance from the house during the storm.
A whole-home standby generator takes all of that off your list. It sits outside on a pad, runs on natural gas or propane, and starts by itself within seconds of an outage.
Three steps to power
No pressure at any step. The estimate is free and the price is in writing before any work.
Free estimate at your home
A licensed installer who serves your address checks your panel, fuel and yard, then leaves a written, itemized price.
Paperwork, then install day
Permits and any HOA approval come first. Most installs take one to two days at the house.
Power stays on
Inspection passes, the unit is tested, and the next outage is a few seconds of quiet.
Honest homework before anyone visits
Free in-home estimate, written price, no obligation.
Get my estimateYou should not have to sit through a sales pitch to learn the basics. So the numbers are here first: the sizing guide and the tool below give you a starting kW, the cost guide breaks down a typical $7,000 to $15,000 Florida install line by line, and every town and community page covers the local details that change the job: which electric utility serves you, whether gas mains reach your street, who issues the permit, and what your HOA asks for.
When you are ready, one request is all it takes. You are matched with a licensed installer who serves your exact area, so you do not have to call around. Expect a call back, usually within one business day, to set a time for the free in-home estimate.
Everything it takes, in one written price
- The generator, sized from a load calculation of what your house actually runs. Generac, Kohler and other major brands; see the brands compared.
- The pad, placed where code and your HOA allow, with the clearances the manufacturer calls for.
- The fuel connection, from your gas meter or a propane tank sized for the days you want covered. See natural gas or propane.
- The automatic transfer switch, the part that moves your house to the generator and back. See how it works.
- Permits, inspections and HOA paperwork, filed by your installer with the right building department.
- Startup and a walkthrough, including the Wi-Fi monitoring app on models that offer it.
Typical Florida installs: about $7,000 to $15,000
Generator, pad, fuel line, transfer switch, permits and startup. Your exact number comes from the free estimate, in writing.
Find your town
Every page covers that place's utility, fuel, permits and storm history. Tap a pin on the map above or pick from the list.
55+ and HOA communities
Get my free estimateNot on the list? If you are in Marion or Sumter County, ask anyway.
Straight answers
Free in-home estimate, written price, no obligation.
Get my estimateHow fast does the power come back?
The automatic transfer switch senses the outage and starts the generator on its own. On most home standby systems the house is running on generator power within seconds, and it switches back to the grid by itself when utility power returns.
What size generator does my house need?
It depends on what has to keep running, mostly your air conditioning and, on rural lots, the well pump. Many Ocala-area homes with one central AC system land between 18 and 22 kW. Use the sizing tool on this page for a starting number; your installer confirms it with a load calculation.
Natural gas or propane?
If your street has a Peoples Gas main, natural gas is the simplest because it never needs a delivery. Rural homes, horse farms and many lake properties use a buried or above-ground propane tank sized for several days of running. Your installer checks which you have at the estimate.
Does my HOA have to approve it?
Usually, through the architectural review committee. Florida Statute 720.3035(6) lets an HOA set specifications for generators and fuel tanks, but it cannot deny an application that meets them. In The Villages, ARC approval comes before any work. Your installer prepares the packet with you.
Who does the work?
Independent, state-licensed electrical and gas contractors who serve your area. You get their written estimate, they pull the permits and schedule inspections, and their warranty and service terms apply. Our disclosures page explains how we work with them.
What does the estimate cost?
Nothing. The in-home estimate is free, there is no obligation to buy, and the written price comes before any work starts.