How long an outage lasts around Exeter depends a lot on your address. Downtown sits on a compact grid run by Unitil, whose Seacoast emergency operations facility is right in town off Exit 9. The homes that wait are on the long tree covered runs through Brentwood, Kingston, Epping, Newfields, and the outer roads of Stratham, where the lines snake through the woods and crews are triaging a much larger territory.
For most of those homes, an outage is not really about the lights. On a private well, no power means no water at all. No showers, no toilets, no way to fill a pot. A finished basement with a sump pump goes unprotected during exactly the storm pushing water at the house. And heat in a January cold snap is not optional. Our shop is in Somersworth, about twenty five minutes up Route 108, and we are in Exeter, Stratham and Epping for installs and service calls all the time.
A properly installed standby generator does not just keep the lights on. It keeps running the systems you cannot go a day without, whether you are standing in the kitchen, at work or on vacation.
An install out here is as much about fuel and placement as it is about wiring. Five things we get right from the start.
Fuel planning for your side of town. Downtown Exeter has natural gas service through Unitil, which is the simpler path when your street has a main. The ring towns run propane, and a 24kW unit under load burns through propane faster than most homeowners expect, so tank size and placement matter as much as the generator itself. We size the tank for the length of outage you actually want to cover, not the minimum that passes inspection, and we plan placement so the delivery truck can reach it in February.
A true 10 year warranty, included. Generac’s standard coverage is a 5 year limited warranty, and the word limited is doing real work in that sentence. Not every component is covered for the full five years. The extended 10 year warranty is bumper to bumper with full coverage on the unit, it requires the aluminum enclosure we already install as standard, and we include it on every generator we install at no additional cost. It is not a promotion with an end date. The coverage itself can be bought from Generac at retail by anyone; our dealer pricing is what lets us include it on every install instead of selling it as an add on.
Load calculations that account for the well pump. A well pump pulls hard on startup, and it is the single load most likely to get missed when a generator is undersized. We run a full load calculation on every install and size around what your house actually needs, including the well, the septic pump if you have one, and any heat pumps or EV chargers already in place.
Honest sizing, not oversold horsepower. An oversized generator costs more to buy, more to fuel, and runs worse at light load. Sometimes the right answer is a smaller unit with load management that sheds the dryer for the twenty minutes the well pump needs, then brings it back. When that is your answer, we tell you.
Placement that will not haunt you. Proper clearances from the house, windows and vents, a stable pad, and a spot where the sound does not sit under your bedroom window. Getting this wrong is the most common problem we see on installs done by others.
Loyal Lab Electric installed the largest air cooled generator Generac makes on a Wakefield property in early 2026. A 28kW NextGen unit on a large home with a 400 amp service and multiple sub panels. You can watch the full installation on YouTube.
In the Exeter area the work runs the full range. We installed a standby generator for an Epping couple who both work from home and did not want an outage to cost either of them a work day, which is quickly becoming one of the most common reasons people call us. In Stratham and Brentwood, the newer developments are large homes carrying real electrical load, EV chargers, mini split heat and cooling, and the 22kW to 26kW units that go with them. Closer to downtown Exeter the homes are older, and it is common for a panel upgrade or service work to come first so the generator has something solid to land on. We have wired everything from full remodels to transfer switch and standby installs in Exeter itself, so when we quote a generator we are quoting the whole electrical picture, not just the machine.
A properly sized standby generator with an automatic transfer switch takes the problem off your plate.
A standby generator only helps if it works on the day you need it. It starts on its own when the power drops, which is the point, but if something is wrong with the unit, a low oil condition, a fault code, a failed weekly exercise cycle, a fuel issue, nobody finds out until someone walks up to it and looks.
Generator Watchdog is our monitoring membership. We watch your generator around the clock through Generac Fleet, and annual maintenance is included in the membership, including valve adjustments when the unit is due for them. Your generator reports to our Somersworth office and nowhere else.
Generator Watchdog: $39 per month, annual maintenance included. Setup fee of $99 to $199 applies only to older units that need additional equipment. New installs from us do not have one.
We do take on generators we did not install, and we will bring the unit back up to Loyal Lab standards first so we are monitoring something we can stand behind.
Every completed job donates $10, and every generator install donates $100, to local dog rescues including the Pope Memorial Humane Society in Dover. The Rusty Fund is named for Rusty, the yellow lab who inspired the company. Your generator keeps your house running; it also helps a dog find a home.
Most whole home standby generator installations run between $8,000 and $17,500. Where you land depends on the size of the unit, the complexity of the electrical work, and site conditions like the distance from the generator to the panel. Homes that need a service upgrade before the generator goes in run higher. You get one written price for the complete project before any work starts.
Often enough to plan for it if you live outside the downtown core. Downtown Exeter sits on a compact grid with the utility’s Seacoast operations facility right in town, so restoration there tends to be quick. The outages that stretch on are out on the tree covered runs through Brentwood, Kingston, Epping and the outer roads of Stratham. Most outages are restored inside a day, but a day is a long time without water if you are on a well.
Yes, as long as the unit is sized for it. Well pumps draw a large surge of current on startup, which is the load that most often gets underestimated. We include the well pump in the load calculation, along with your septic pump if you have one, so the generator handles the startup surge without nuisance shutdowns. This is one of the more common reasons we get called out to look at somebody else’s undersized install.
Both, depending on your street. Downtown Exeter has natural gas service, and most of the surrounding towns run propane. Generac standby units run on either, and on propane we size the tank around how long you want to be covered, with placement that keeps the fill line accessible year round.
Most single family homes are well served by an 18kW to 24kW air cooled unit. The larger newer homes in Stratham and Brentwood, especially with EV chargers and mini split heat and cooling, usually land in 22kW to 26kW territory. We do a full load calculation before recommending anything, so the unit is sized for your house rather than oversized to run up the price.
Your risk is different from a home in Brentwood on a well, but outages do not check your address for water service. Refrigeration, heat, sump pumps and home offices go down either way. We will give you an honest read during the sizing visit, including telling you if a smaller unit or a portable hookup fits your situation better.
Yes. We coordinate permitting with the town and schedule the required inspections. We also handle the coordination with your utility and your gas or propane supplier. You do not need to make those calls.
Yes to both. Generac’s standard coverage is a 5 year limited warranty, and limited means not every component is covered for the full five years. The extended 10 year warranty is a true bumper to bumper warranty with full coverage on the unit. We include the extended coverage on every generator we install at no additional cost. It is not a promotion with an end date. The coverage itself can be bought from Generac at retail by anyone; our dealer pricing is what lets us include it on every install instead of selling it as an add on.
Physical installation typically takes 1 to 2 days. Start to finish, including utility coordination, gas or propane work, and inspection, plan on about a week or more.
Yes. We install generators throughout Exeter, Stratham, Epping, Brentwood, Kingston, East Kingston, Newfields and Newmarket. If you are not sure whether your street is in our area, give us a call and we will let you know.
Yes. We repair and maintain existing Generac units across the Exeter area, and Generator Watchdog is open to them after we bring the unit up to our standards.
Yes. Loyal Lab Electric & Generators holds NH Master Electrician License number 13956 and Maine Electrician License number MS60021263, and carries full liability insurance and workers compensation coverage. We pull all required permits and schedule inspections on every job that needs them.
Yes for larger projects like generator installations, panel upgrades, and EV charger setups. Service calls and troubleshooting carry a service call fee, but any work needed beyond the diagnosis is quoted for free before we start.
Yes. We work with Wisetack for 0% APR financing over 12 months on qualifying generator installations, and Klarna for shorter-term options. Most homeowners can prequalify online in a few minutes without affecting their credit. Ask when we give you the quote and we will walk through what fits.
The Rusty Fund is our giving program for local dog rescues, primarily the Pope Memorial Humane Society in Dover. We donate $10 from every completed job and $100 from every generator installation. It is named after Rusty, the yellow lab the company is named for.
You can depend on us to for all of your electrical needs. We are here whenever you need us.
Our friendly staff are happy to help with any electrical need you have.
We use the safest and best equipment in the industry for every electrical project.
We will exceed your expectations and guarantee satisfaction.
