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Storm season · Standby · Portable

Generators & Transfer Switches

Western Pennsylvania loses power to ice and wind every winter. A transfer switch is the difference between a generator that safely runs your furnace and well pump, and extension cords through a window — which is both a fire risk and a genuine hazard to the linemen working to restore your street.

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Electric Power Pro Solutions · McKeesport, PA 15132 · (412) 899-2364

Exterior meter and service disconnect mounted on the side of a home, where a generator inlet or transfer switch ties in

What’s included

  • Manual and automatic transfer switch installation
  • Standby generator wiring and hookup
  • Portable generator inlet boxes
  • Critical-load sub-panel setup — furnace, well pump, fridge, sump
  • Generator circuit sizing and load planning
  • Existing generator inspection and re-wire

Why it matters

Electrical work is one of the few trades where the difference between good and bad is invisible until it isn’t. A job done properly is permitted, inspected, correctly grounded and bonded, sized for what you actually run, and labeled so the next person — another electrician, a home inspector, the next owner — can read it without guessing.

That is the standard on every job we take, whether it is a single circuit or a full service replacement. We would rather do fewer jobs properly than more jobs quickly.

Where we do this work

Greater Pittsburgh and the whole Mon Valley out of our base in McKeesport, reaching ten counties in all — Allegheny, Westmoreland, Washington, Fayette, Armstrong, Indiana, Butler, Beaver, Greene and the corner of Somerset. See the full service area map.

Straight answers

Common questions

How much does an electrical panel upgrade cost in the Pittsburgh area?

It depends on the service size, the condition of the existing service entrance and what your municipality charges for the permit. That is why we look at it in person and give you one written number covering labour, materials, permit and inspection before any work starts. The estimate is free.

How long does a panel upgrade take?

Most residential service upgrades are a single day. The power is off for part of that day while the utility disconnects and reconnects, and we schedule that window in advance so you can plan around it.

Do I need a permit to replace my electrical panel?

Yes. A service or panel replacement is permitted and inspected work everywhere in our service area. We pull the permit, meet the inspector and hand you the paperwork, which matters the day you sell the house or renew your insurance.

My house still has a fuse box. Is that actually a problem?

It can be two problems. Insurers increasingly refuse to write or renew policies on fuse boxes, and buyers routinely walk at inspection. Beyond that, a 60-amp fuse service simply cannot carry a modern house. Converting to a breaker panel resolves all of it.

Free written estimates

Panel maxed out? Breakers tripping? Let’s take a look.

Tell us what the house is doing and we’ll tell you straight whether it needs an upgrade or a repair.

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Generator Transfer Switches Installed Right — McKeesport & Greater Pittsburgh

Electric Power Pro Solutions wires manual and automatic transfer switches for standby and portable generators throughout the Mon Valley and all ten surrounding counties — every job permitted, inspected, and sized for what your house actually runs.

Why Transfer Switches Matter in Western Pennsylvania Winters

The Mon Valley corridor — McKeesport, Duquesne, Clairton, White Oak, Port Vue — sits in a stretch of Allegheny County that gets ice storms and heavy wet snow off the Laurel Highlands every winter. Those storms pull lines down for days, not hours. Homes on the outer edges of the service territory in Fayette, Westmoreland, and Washington counties can wait even longer for restoration because utility crews work the largest outages first.

Allegheny County and all surrounding municipalities require a permit for any generator interconnection work. That includes transfer switches, inlet boxes, and load panels tied to a generator circuit. The inspection matters because utilities here enforce the requirement that no generator can backfeed onto their lines — a transfer switch with a proper interlock or double-throw mechanism is what makes that guarantee physical, not just procedural.

Homes in McKeesport and much of the older Mon Valley stock were built on 60-amp or 100-amp services. Before we size a transfer switch, we check that the existing service can support the critical loads you plan to run — furnace, sump pump, refrigerator, and a few lights draw more than most homeowners expect. If a service upgrade is needed first, we tell you up front with one written number.

Manual vs. Automatic Transfer Switches — What the Difference Costs You

A manual transfer switch or interlock kit is the lower-cost entry point. You start the generator, go to the panel, flip the interlock, and switch on the circuits you need. It works, it passes inspection, and for most portable generator owners it is exactly the right call. The wiring and the inspection are the same — the difference is just whether a human or a controller does the switching.

An automatic transfer switch (ATS) is what a standby generator requires. The ATS monitors utility power, detects an outage, signals the generator to start, and transfers the load — typically in under 30 seconds — without anyone touching a panel. For households with a sump pump in a basement that floods, a well pump that feeds the only water supply, or a family member on home medical equipment, those 30 seconds and the hands-off operation matter.

We install both. We will tell you which one makes sense for your generator, your load list, and your budget — not which one has a better margin for us.

Common questions

Can I just plug my generator into a dryer outlet instead of installing a transfer switch?
No — that is a backfeed connection, which is illegal in Pennsylvania and every surrounding state, violates the utility interconnection rules, and can kill a lineman working to restore your street. It also voids your homeowner's insurance if there is a fire or equipment damage. A proper transfer switch or interlock kit is not expensive relative to the risk it eliminates, and it is what makes the generator actually usable for the circuits you care about.
How do I know if my existing panel can handle a transfer switch and a generator circuit?
We check that as part of the estimate — it is not a separate charge. Older 100-amp services are common in the Mon Valley, and some can support a critical-load transfer switch without an upgrade, depending on what else is on the panel. If the service needs to go to 200 amps first, we quote both in the same written estimate so you see the complete number before committing to anything.
Does a transfer switch installation need a permit in Allegheny County and the surrounding municipalities?
Yes, everywhere in our service area. Generator interconnection work — transfer switches, inlet boxes, and dedicated generator circuits — is inspected work under Pennsylvania's Uniform Construction Code. We pull the permit, schedule the inspection, and hand you the paperwork. That documentation protects you at resale and with your insurer.

Get a Written Estimate Before Storm Season

Transfer switch installs book up fast when a storm is forecast — an estimate now costs nothing and puts you ahead of the rush.

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