Services · Pittsburgh

Generators & EV in Pittsburgh, PA

Standby generators, EV chargers and hot tub circuits — the loads old Pittsburgh services were never sized for.

This is the category that did not exist when most houses around here were wired, and it is the one that most often runs into the limits of an older service.

The Electric Guys install standby generators and transfer switches, Level 2 EV chargers, and the dedicated circuits hot tubs, spas and pools require, across Pittsburgh and out to about thirty-three miles.

Generators are a genuinely regional demand rather than a luxury item. The terrain here is hills, river valleys and a great many mature street trees over overhead distribution lines, which is an efficient recipe for outages. The pattern is consistent: a summer storm or a wet, heavy snow brings limbs down, and the dense city grid comes back comparatively quickly while the longer rural and hillside feeders — out towards Murrysville, the wooded parts of Penn Hills, the edges of Butler County — stay dark considerably longer. If your street is at the end of one of those runs, you already know it.

EV chargers are the other half, and they are where the load calculation matters. A Level 2 charger is one of the largest continuous loads a house will ever carry. On a 200-amp service in a newer Cranberry or Robinson plan it is usually straightforward. On the 100-amp service still feeding a lot of Pittsburgh, Mt. Lebanon and Penn Hills homes it frequently is not, and the honest answer is a service upgrade first. We do the calculation before quoting the charger, not after installing it.

Hot tub and spa circuits belong here for the same reason — a dedicated GFCI-protected feed with a proper disconnect, sized and located to code, is not a job to improvise from an existing garage circuit.

Call or text (412) 501-7391 for a free estimate.

Our generators & ev services

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need a service upgrade before an EV charger?

Often, yes — and that is the answer you want before the charger is bought, not after. A Level 2 charger is one of the biggest continuous loads a house will ever carry. On a newer 200-amp service it is usually fine; on the 100-amp services still common across Pittsburgh, Mt. Lebanon and the postwar townships it frequently is not. We run the load calculation first and tell you which you have.

What size standby generator does a house actually need?

It depends on what you want running, not on the square footage. Most people are choosing between a smaller unit covering heat, the fridge, the sump pump, the well pump and some lighting, and a whole-house unit that covers air conditioning too. We would rather size it against the circuits that matter to you than sell you the larger one by default.

Why are generators so much more common out in the townships?

Restoration time. The dense city grid tends to come back relatively quickly after a storm; long feeders running through wooded terrain — out towards Murrysville, the edges of Butler County, the wooded parts of Penn Hills — can stay down considerably longer. If your street is at the end of one of those runs, you have probably already noticed.

Can a hot tub run off the garage circuit?

No. A hot tub needs its own dedicated, GFCI-protected circuit with a disconnect within sight of the tub and at the right distance from the water. Running one off an existing circuit is both a code failure and a genuine hazard, and it is one of the more common things we are called out to put right.

Need generators & ev? We're ready to help.

Free estimate, written quote, no obligation — and a straight answer about what your Pittsburgh home actually needs.

  • Serving Pittsburgh, Mt. Lebanon, Bethel Park, Monroeville
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