A whole-home generator is one of the most responsible decisions a homeowner can make in northern Indiana. It's not flashy. It doesn't impress anyone at a dinner party. But when the next derecho rolls through Mishawaka, when an ice storm takes down lines in Valparaiso, or when the grid goes out for two days in Plymouth — you'll know your family is safe, warm, and lit. That's what this is really about.
The Outages Aren't Getting Less Frequent
Anyone who's lived in northern Indiana for more than a few years knows the pattern. The spring storms have gotten meaner. The summer wind events feel longer. The winter ice storms still take the grid down a few days a year. And the utility crews — as hard-working as they are — can only move so fast when there are hundreds of poles down across a county.
Without a generator, the most you can do is hope it ends quickly. With a whole-home standby generator, the lights come back on within seconds — automatically — and stay on until the power company sorts things out. That's the difference between an inconvenience and an emergency.
What "Whole-Home" Actually Means
"Whole-home" doesn't mean one specific generator size. It means the system is built to carry everything in your house that you want to keep running during an outage. For most Indiana homes, that's:
- Furnace blower or heat pump
- Central AC (for summer storms)
- Refrigerator and chest freezer
- Well pump, septic pump, and sump pump
- Kitchen, lights, and standard outlets
- Medical equipment if anyone in the home depends on it
- Internet and Wi-Fi
Depending on your home's load, that's typically a 20 kW to 26 kW Kohler or Cummins for an average 2,000–3,000 sq ft Indiana home. Larger homes go up to 38 kW or higher. We size it during the free consultation — not from a chart in an office.
Our Promise to You
Responsible & Affordable: Two Words That Belong Together
A whole-home generator feels expensive until you compare it to the alternatives. Here's the honest math:
The "Wait and See" Approach
- Spoiled refrigerator/freezer after 48 hours: $300–$800
- Basement flooding from sump pump failure: $3,000–$25,000
- Hotel + meals for a family of four (3 nights): $600–$1,200
- Frozen pipes during a winter outage: $2,000–$15,000
- Lost work-from-home income: hard to calculate
A Whole-Home Generator
- Typical install: $9,000–$16,000
- Financing available — many qualify for 0%
- Adds 3–5% to home resale value
- Pays itself off after one or two serious outages
- 20+ years of peace of mind
It's not about being the most expensive. It's about being smart. A right-sized Kohler or Cummins on a 20-year service plan is one of the most fiscally responsible purchases a homeowner can make.
What the Install Actually Looks Like
- The free consultation. One of our licensed electricians walks your property, looks at your panel, runs a load calc, asks what you care about keeping powered, and writes you a fixed quote.
- The decision. You take the quote home. Compare. Ask questions. We won't chase you.
- Permits & ordering. Once you say yes, we pull permits and order the unit. Lead times are typically 4–8 weeks depending on Kohler/Cummins availability.
- Install day(s). Most installs are 1–2 days. We pour a small concrete pad (or set a composite pad), set the generator, run the gas line, install the automatic transfer switch in your panel, and energize the system.
- Inspection & commissioning. County inspector signs off. We do a live test — simulate an outage, watch the generator start, verify every circuit transfers cleanly.
- The walkthrough. Before we leave, we show you and your family how it works, how the weekly self-test runs, and what to expect when the real thing happens.
Kohler vs Cummins vs Briggs & Stratton: Our Honest Take
We're an authorized dealer for all three brands. We'll tell you what we'd put in our own homes:
For most northern Indiana homes, our first recommendation is Kohler. They run quieter than the competition, look cleaner from the curb, and we've had fewer warranty issues over the years. The 20 kW and 26 kW models cover the vast majority of homes we install for.
For larger homes (4,000+ sq ft) or homes with multiple HVAC zones, we usually move up to Cummins — their 36 kW and 60 kW liquid-cooled units are workhorses, and the warranty is excellent.
For homeowners watching the budget, Briggs & Stratton remains a solid third option with a long-standing reputation. Not flashy, but it works.
Natural Gas vs Propane: Which Fuel?
- Natural gas — if you already have a gas line to the house, this is the easiest and cheapest fuel source. Unlimited supply, no tank to maintain.
- Propane — common for rural homes outside the gas grid. We coordinate with your propane supplier, and you keep a tank on site. The fuel stores indefinitely.
- Diesel — almost never for residential. We use it on commercial installs.
We Install Across All of Northern Indiana
We're based in Plymouth and we install whole-home generators across every northern Indiana town. We hear from Mishawaka homeowners and Valparaiso homeowners more than anywhere else right now — both areas saw long outages last storm season — but we cover everywhere in between.
What People Ask Us Most
How long does it take to start saving lives, basements, food?
Eight seconds. That's the typical time from grid failure to the generator carrying load. Your fridge never warms up. Your sump pump never stops. Your medical equipment never powers off.
How loud is it?
A modern Kohler or Cummins residential unit runs around 60–65 dB at 23 feet — about the volume of a normal conversation. You hear it during the weekly 10-minute self-test, but inside the house it's barely noticeable.
What about maintenance?
One service visit a year. We change the oil and filter, check the battery, inspect the transfer switch, and run a load test. Most customers add this to a service plan so it just happens automatically.
What if my power doesn't go out for a year?
Better. The generator runs a 10-minute exercise cycle every week to stay healthy. When the next outage hits — and it will — it's ready.
One Conversation. No Pressure. No Charge.
If you're seriously thinking about a generator, the only smart next step is to get someone honest in your driveway. We don't run high-pressure tactics. We don't push the biggest unit. We just look at your home, run the numbers, and tell you what we'd do if it was our family.
That's the responsible way. That's the affordable way. That's how Banner Electric has done it for 60+ years.
Request Your Free Consultation
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