Montecito 93108, Hope Ranch, Santa Barbara
Generator installation in Montecito and Santa Barbara.
Backup power for a Montecito or Santa Barbara property should be sized for the loads you choose to support. County Line Electric reviews the house, any additional buildings, pumps and other equipment before recommending a Generac system and defining the installation scope.
Why here is different
Several buildings, foothill circuits, and a plan sized to your choices.
Montecito and Hope Ranch sit against the Santa Ynez Mountains in a high fire hazard zone, with the Thomas Fire of 2017 and the January 2018 debris flow in recent memory, and Southern California Edison can de-energize foothill circuits under its Public Safety Power Shutoff program during high-wind conditions. A property here may include a guest house, a well or booster pump, a gate, pool and spa equipment and air conditioning across more than one building. The backup plan covers the ones the owner chooses to supply, on natural gas or, where there is no main, propane.
County Line Electric is based in Newbury Park and serves Montecito and Santa Barbara as part of its established service area. It takes generator installations there and schedules the twice-yearly service in batches so the crew is in Santa Barbara County for a day rather than driving up for one unit.
Which unit
Choose equipment after the load assessment.
Liquid-cooled Generac
An option for larger loads, such as a main house with guest houses, pumps, pool equipment or several air conditioning systems. Built for long run times at heavy load.
Air-cooled Generac
An option for a smaller home, or for backing up selected circuits on a larger one. Compact and quiet.
Generac product imagery. Generac is a trademark of Generac Power Systems.
County Line Electric at a glance
- 20+ yrsIn businessJeff Tucker has run County Line Electric in the Conejo Valley for over 20 years.
- #949580California contractor licenseLicensed, bonded and insured. Check it on the CSLB site any time.
- Site reviewGenerator planningLoads, fuel supply and equipment placement assessed for the property.
- A+BBB Accredited since 2017Rated A+ by the Better Business Bureau. See the profile.
- 5.0HomeAdvisor ratingFive stars from every reviewed job. Read the reviews.
Montecito generator questions
Does County Line Electric install generators in Montecito?
Yes. County Line Electric installs Generac standby generators in Montecito, Hope Ranch and Santa Barbara, sized from a load calculation for the buildings, pumps, gates and equipment the owner chooses to supply, with the Santa Barbara County or City of Santa Barbara permit and twice-yearly service scheduled in batches for the area.
What size generator does a Montecito property need?
It depends on the loads you choose to support. County Line Electric runs the load calculation at the site visit and selects an air-cooled or liquid-cooled Generac unit from it rather than from square footage.
Who issues the permit for a generator in Montecito?
Santa Barbara County Planning and Development for Montecito and Hope Ranch, which are unincorporated, and the City of Santa Barbara inside its limits. County Line Electric pulls the electrical permit as part of the installation.
Will I need electrical panel work?
That depends on the existing equipment, transfer-switch arrangement and backup loads. County Line Electric assesses any panel or service work as part of the proposed installation rather than assuming every home needs an upgrade.
Related
In writing
What the estimate lists, line by line.
A generator estimate that says "installed" and a number is not an estimate. County Line's names every part, so two bids can be compared on the same page.
- The unit: Generac model, kilowatt rating, air-cooled or liquid-cooled, and the load calculation it was sized from
- The automatic transfer switch: amperage, whole-house or critical loads, and where it mounts
- The pad and the location, with the clearances to windows, doors and the property line
- The fuel: natural gas line size and run, or the propane tank, regulator and line, and who does that work
- The electrical: conduit, wire, breakers, surge protection, any panel work the house needs first
- The permit and inspection, and the HOA submittal where there is one
- Startup and a simulated outage with you present
- The twice-yearly service plan: $600 a year, both visits, and what each visit covers
Timing
When to buy a generator, honestly.
The right time is spring and early summer. Shutoff season in Southern California runs from September into December, when the Santa Ana winds arrive, and that is when everyone calls. Lead times on Generac units and on permits stretch, gas work gets booked out, and a generator ordered in October may not be running until the season is over. A unit ordered in April is installed, inspected and exercised before the first red flag warning.
County Line says this on every generator page because it is true and because a customer who plans ahead gets a better installation: time to size it properly, time to place the pad well, time to get the HOA and the permit done without a rush.
Logistics
How County Line works in Montecito and Santa Barbara.
The office is in Newbury Park. County Line takes installations there and batches the twice-yearly service into Santa Barbara County days. It does not take one-off service calls that far north and says so.
Service visits, generator maintenance and small jobs are scheduled in batches by area, so the crew is in one part of the map for the day rather than crossing it.
Official references
Where the facts on this page come from.
County Line links to the authorities rather than restating them. Rules change; these pages are current.
- County of Santa Barbara: Montecito and Hope Ranch permits
- City of Santa Barbara: permits inside the city
- SCE Public Safety Power Shutoffs: the foothills
- Generac: the units County Line installs
- CSLB license check: license #949580
Next step
Tell us about the property.
Name, phone, city and a line about the project. The office calls back, and a site visit is scheduled if it makes sense. No pressure, no sales script.
Or call (805) 499-0823. Monday to Friday, 9 to 5.