Here in Scottsdale, AZ, a monsoon rolls in without warning, a summer heat wave pushes the grid to its limit, and the power goes out — usually at the worst possible moment. Whether you’re a homeowner who just lost the contents of your freezer, a restaurant owner who had to turn away a full dining room, or a medical office that cannot afford a single second of downtime, losing power is more than an inconvenience. It’s a financial hit, a safety risk, and a wake-up call. At FHR Electric, our Backup Power and Generators solutions are designed to give Scottsdale and Maricopa County homeowners and business owners complete, code-compliant protection — so the next time the grid blinks, you don’t even notice.
Why Backup Power Isn’t Optional Anymore
Arizona’s power grid is under more stress every year. Record-breaking summer temperatures, rapidly growing demand across the Valley — from Phoenix and Chandler to Fountain Hills and Glendale — and an aging infrastructure mean outages are becoming more frequent, not less. And let’s be honest: when you’re running a home with an EV charger, a new HVAC system, and a fully loaded kitchen, or managing a small business where every hour of downtime costs real money, a power outage isn’t just a nuisance. It’s a liability. Knowing how backup power and generators work is the first step — having a licensed, experienced team install and maintain yours is the step that actually protects you.
We’ve seen too many homeowners try to handle generator hookups themselves, or hire a handyman who got the job half done and left them with a setup that failed the first time they needed it — or worse, one that created a carbon monoxide hazard or a dangerous backfeed on the utility line. Our team is licensed, insured, and ROC-registered in Arizona. We do this right the first time, every time.
Our Backup Power & Generator Services
We handle everything from a standby generator checkup on a unit you already own to a full whole-home or commercial generator installation with automatic transfer switch integration. Here’s what we offer:
Whole-Home Standby Generator Installation
A whole-home standby generator starts automatically within seconds of a power outage — no running outside in a monsoon to pull a cord. These units run on natural gas or propane and are permanently wired to your home’s electrical panel through an automatic transfer switch (ATS). We size the unit correctly for your home’s load, pull all required permits, and handle the full installation including the ATS, so you’re protected and code-compliant from day one.
Automatic Transfer Switch (ATS) Installation
The transfer switch is the heart of any safe generator system. Without one — or with an improperly installed manual interlock — you risk backfeeding power onto the utility line, which is a serious danger to utility workers and can destroy your generator instantly when power is restored. We install electrical panel interlock kits and full ATS units depending on your needs and budget. If you already have a generator sitting in your garage, we can make it genuinely safe to use.
Portable Generator Hookup & Dedicated Circuits
Prefer to keep a portable generator for occasional use? We can wire a proper generator inlet box and interlock switch to your panel so you can power your home safely without extension cords running through windows or doors. We’ll also help you identify which circuits matter most — refrigerator, medical equipment, sump pump, or home office — and prioritize them accordingly.
Solar Battery & ATS Battery Storage Integration
Battery storage is rapidly becoming the preferred backup power solution for Scottsdale homeowners, especially those with existing solar systems. Whether you’re exploring a solar battery hookup or a full ATS battery storage setup, we handle the electrical integration side — safely connecting your battery system to your panel, ensuring proper permitting, and making sure your system will actually perform when the grid goes down. Pairing battery backup with your EV charger, smart home, and low voltage systems is something we do regularly for clients across North Scottsdale and Paradise Valley.
Commercial Generator & UPS Systems
For restaurants, dental and medical offices, data rooms, and other businesses where uptime is everything, we design and install commercial-grade generator systems, UPS electrical hookups, and PDU installations. We understand commercial power distribution panels, transfer switch requirements, and the importance of maintaining compliance with local codes during and after installation. Our commercial electrical services team works with business owners across Chandler, Mesa, Tempe, Gilbert, and the greater Phoenix metro.
Generator Maintenance & Standby Generator Checkups
A generator you never test is a generator that will fail you. We offer scheduled maintenance visits — oil changes, load testing, transfer switch verification, and battery checks — so your system is ready when you actually need it. If you haven’t had a standby generator checkup in the last year, now is the time.
What Size Generator Does Your Home Actually Need?
One of the most common questions we hear is: how many watts do I need for a home generator? The honest answer is — it depends on your home’s load. A modest home that just wants to keep the refrigerator, lights, and a window unit running might be fine with an 8–12 kW unit. A large Scottsdale home with a central HVAC system, well pump, EV charger, and a home office running servers needs something considerably larger — often 22–30 kW or more. We perform a proper load calculation before recommending any equipment, because oversizing wastes money and undersizing means your system will fail under real load. We never push a product just because it has a better margin for us.
“When the power went out during last summer’s storm, our standby generator kicked on in under 10 seconds. My home office stayed online, the AC kept running, and my family didn’t miss a beat. Best investment we’ve made in this house.”
— Homeowner in North Scottsdale, AZ
The Right Panel Is the Foundation of Backup Power
Here’s something most people don’t realize: your generator or battery system is only as reliable as the electrical panel it connects to. If your panel is aging, undersized, or has issues like double-tapped neutrals, moisture intrusion, or breakers that trip under normal load, adding a generator won’t fix those problems — it will expose them. Before we install any backup power system, we assess your panel’s condition and capacity. If we find issues, we’ll tell you clearly and honestly what they mean — and we can address them through our electrical panel and power upgrade services. No surprise scopes, no hidden fees, no work done without your approval.
How We Work: Straightforward, Start to Finish
We’ve built FHR Electric around one idea: treat every client the way we’d want someone to treat our own family. That means no pressure sales, no upsells you don’t need, and no surprises on your invoice. Here’s what working with us looks like:
- Step 1 — Site Assessment: We visit your home or business, evaluate your current electrical panel and load, discuss your priorities (whole-home coverage vs. critical circuits), and take measurements for equipment placement.
- Step 2 — Clear Proposal: You receive a written quote that spells out equipment, labor, permit fees, and timeline. No line items that suddenly multiply once we’re on-site.
- Step 3 — Permitting: We pull all required permits with the city or county. In Scottsdale, Phoenix, and across Maricopa County, generator installations require permits — and we handle that process so you don’t have to.
- Step 4 — Installation: Our licensed electricians complete the installation to code. We coordinate with your gas provider if needed for standby units, and we never leave a job half-finished.
- Step 5 — Testing & Walkthrough: Before we leave, we test the full system — automatic transfer, load, and run time — and walk you through exactly how to operate and maintain your new system.
- Step 6 — Ongoing Support: We’re available for maintenance, questions, and future upgrades. We want to be your electrician for life, not just for one job.
Serving All of Maricopa County — From North Scottsdale to Fountain Hills
We serve homeowners and businesses throughout the greater Phoenix metro, including Scottsdale, Old Town Scottsdale, North Scottsdale, Phoenix, North Phoenix, Chandler, Gilbert, Mesa, Tempe, Glendale, Fountain Hills, and surrounding communities across Maricopa County. If you’re looking for a licensed, experienced electrical team to handle your backup power needs with the same care you’d expect from a specialist — not a generalist — you’ve found us. Explore our full range of home electrical services to see everything we can do for your property.
Don’t Wait for the Next Outage to Wish You Were Prepared
Every year we get calls from homeowners and business owners who say the same thing: “I kept meaning to get this done.” Meanwhile, a storm knocked out their power for 36 hours, they lost a refrigerator full of food, or their business turned away customers for an entire day. Backup power isn’t a luxury item — in Arizona’s climate and with today’s grid pressures, it’s a smart, practical investment that pays for itself the first time you need it.
Call FHR Electric today. We’ll assess your situation honestly, give you a clear proposal, and get you protected — the right way, by licensed professionals who stand behind their work.