When a winter storm takes out power in Spokane, you lose more than the lights. A gas furnace still needs electricity to run its blower and controls, so a long outage in January quickly becomes a no-heat emergency. When a windstorm swept through the region in December 2025, around 80,000 Avista customers lost power at the peak, and some waited days for it to come back. Cougar Heating, Cooling, Plumbing & Electrical has licensed electricians who install, repair, and maintain standby generators so your home keeps running when the grid doesn’t.
Why Homeowners Need a Backup Generator
A backup generator repair keeps the systems that matter most running during an outage:
- Heat. Furnaces, heat pumps, and boiler circulators all need power to operate.
- Pipes. A cold house in a multi-day outage puts pipes in crawlspaces and exterior walls at risk of freezing.
- Water. Homes on wells in Mead, Chattaroy, Clayton, and rural North Idaho have no water without power to the well pump.
- Sump pumps during late-winter snowmelt.
- Medical equipment, refrigerators, and home offices.
Portable generators can cover a few essentials, but a permanently installed standby generator starts automatically within seconds and can power your whole home. Not sure which fits? Our licensed electricians will help you compare. If you use a portable unit, keep it well away from the house and make sure your carbon monoxide detectors are working.
Generator Installation Process
- Load assessment. We list what you want powered and calculate the size you need, including the startup surge from motors like your furnace blower or well pump.
- Fuel source. Natural gas where service is available, or propane for homes without a gas line.
- Placement. The unit goes on a level pad with proper clearance from windows, doors, and vents, above typical snow depth.
- Transfer switch. An automatic transfer switch disconnects your home from the utility before the generator powers it. This prevents backfeeding, which can injure utility crews working on the lines.
- Permits and inspection. We pull the required permits and schedule inspection.
- Startup and walkthrough. We test the system under load and show you how it works.
Standby generator cost depends on the unit’s size, the fuel type, how far it sits from your gas line and panel, and whether your panel needs an upgrade. You’ll get upfront pricing after the load assessment, before any work begins.
Older or full electrical panels sometimes need a panel upgrade first. Many homeowners also add whole home surge protection at the same time.
Generator Repair & Maintenance
A generator that hasn’t run since last winter may not start when you need it. Call us if yours:
- Fails its weekly self-test or won’t start
- Shows a fault code or warning light
- Runs rough, surges, or shuts down under load
- Starts, but the transfer switch doesn’t engage
Annual maintenance before winter covers oil and filters, battery testing, a transfer switch check, and a load test. You get upfront pricing before any repair begins.
Why Choose Cougar for Generator Installation
- Licensed electricians with a safety-first approach to every installation
- Heating expertise in-house, so your generator is sized for your furnace or heat pump load
- Upfront pricing, plus our 100% Service Fee Guarantee and 100% customer satisfaction guarantee
- 24/7 live answering and locally operated service across Spokane and North Idaho
Get ready before the next storm. Call (509) 253-5430 or schedule service online.
