Generator installation in Rocky Mount, NC

Floyd changed how Rocky Mount thinks about storms

In September 1999, Floyd dropped as much as 18 inches of rain on the Rocky Mount area. The Tar River crested at a record 31.66 feet, and floodwater spread through neighborhoods on both sides of the river and on into Princeville and Tarboro. Many homes lost power for days; some families were out of their houses far longer. Matthew brought flooding back in 2016.

People here remember. That's a big part of why standby generators keep going in around Rocky Mount: a generator that starts by itself and runs until the grid comes back is the difference between riding out the next one at home and packing up.

A city that runs its own power and gas

Rocky Mount is unusual in eastern North Carolina because the city supplies both electricity and natural gas to most of its residents. That shapes a generator install here in two ways.

Fuel. Homes on City of Rocky Mount gas service can usually run a standby generator on natural gas, with nothing to refill during a long outage. A generator plus a furnace, water heater and range can need more than the current meter supplies, and when it does, the installer coordinates the meter upgrade with the city's gas department. Outside the city's gas service area, in rural Nash and Edgecombe counties, propane is the usual fuel. See propane and natural gas generators.

Power. Most of the city buys electricity from the City of Rocky Mount, but there are pockets served by Dominion Energy, Duke Energy Progress and Edgecombe-Martin County EMC, especially near the edges of town. Your bill shows which you have. It doesn't change the generator: the automatic transfer switch isolates your house from whichever utility it is, so nothing feeds back onto lines crews are working on.

Businesses and farms

Rocky Mount's businesses along Wesleyan Boulevard, Sunset Avenue and downtown lose money by the hour in an outage, and commercial generators keep coolers, registers and lights running. Out in Nash and Edgecombe counties, farms can get standby power for poultry houses, where ventilation can't stop, and for other operations that can't wait for the grid.

Permits and placement

Inside the city, the City of Rocky Mount's Inspection Services issues the electrical permit and inspects the work. Outside city limits, permits go through Nash or Edgecombe County, depending on which side of the county line you're on. Gas piping may need its own permit. Near the Tar and its creeks, the installer checks your flood zone and sets the generator at a height that meets floodplain rules.

The installer is a licensed NC electrical contractor and authorized Generac sales and service dealer. Read more about whole house generators and Generac installation.

Communities we serve around Rocky Mount

Rocky Mount, Nashville, Sharpsburg, Battleboro, Tarboro, Princeville, Red Oak, Whitakers, Dortches, Spring Hope and Pinetops, along I-95, US 64 and US 301. We also provide generator repair and maintenance and transfer switch and interlock kit installation.