About
About Chicagoland Generator Pros
An independent resource that helps Chicago-area homeowners understand what a standby generator really costs, how to size it, what the permit rules are, and how to reach an established local installer — without the sales pitch.
What this is
Chicagoland Generator Pros is an independent publication about home standby generators in the Chicagoland market. We research the parts of the decision that are genuinely hard to pin down — real installed costs in the Chicago suburbs, honest brand differences, municipal permit fees, utility requirements, and correct sizing — and we publish what we find with the source attached.
We are not a contractor, an installer, or a manufacturer. We do not sell generators and we are not paid to recommend one brand over another. That independence is the point: it lets us say when a smaller unit is fine, when a brand has an open class action, or when a national price estimate understates what a Chicago-area install actually costs.
How we're funded
The site is free to read. When you ask us to connect you with a local installer through our quote form, we may be compensated by the installer who receives that introduction. That is how the work here is paid for, and we want you to know it up front.
It does not change what we publish. Costs, comparisons, and permit facts trace to primary sources regardless of who advertises, and where we cannot confirm something we mark it unverified rather than guess. If our research says 14kW is enough for your home, that is what it says — the funding model does not push you toward a bigger unit.
Every figure has a source
Each number on this site is graded by how strong the evidence behind it is, dated, and updated when it changes. Three pages document exactly how we work:
- Editorial Standards →
How we grade every claim by source strength, and the rules we hold copy to.
- Methodology →
Which primary sources we use, how figures are dated, and the checks that run before anything ships.
- Corrections Policy →
How we handle an error or an outdated figure — and how to report one.
What we cover
Standby generator costs, sizing, fuel, maintenance, troubleshooting, financing, and the permit-and-utility process across the Chicago suburbs — plus dedicated city guides for the Chicagoland markets we serve. Start with the cost guide, the sizing guide, or the permits & utility guide.