Generator Installation in Kennebunkport, Maine

On January 13, 2024, Central Maine Power shut off power to buildings in Dock Square because floodwater created electrical and fire hazards, and residents were told to stay away from Ocean Avenue, Goose Rocks Beach and Cape Porpoise. A few days earlier, the January 10 storm had already brought flooding and outages to the coast. Storms like these are the main reason Kennebunkport owners install standby generators, but the everyday cause of outages is trees on the wooded roads that lead inland toward Arundel. Either way, a house with no power in winter loses its heat, and a seasonal house left empty can freeze before anyone notices.

A whole-home generator runs on propane in most of Kennebunkport, since Census figures show no homes on utility gas and about 27 percent already heating with propane. The automatic transfer switch starts the unit and moves the house onto it within seconds, then back to utility power when CMP restores service. For smaller budgets, an interlock kit or manual transfer switch lets a portable generator feed selected circuits safely through an outdoor inlet. Sizing matters in large homes, where the choice is often between a generator big enough for everything and a smaller one that carries heat, water, refrigeration and a few circuits. Standby units run a short self-test every week and need yearly service, and a caretaker who checks the house can confirm that the generator has been exercising while the owners are away.

Kennebunkport requires its own generator permit, even though it does not issue electrical permits. The pad location also has to respect shoreland zoning, which covers land within 250 feet of the ocean, rivers and coastal wetlands, and the town's flood hazard rules on low streets such as Dyke Road and King's Highway. Goodnow Electric sizes the load, installs the transfer switch and handles the electrical side of the permitting. On tight village lots near Dock Square, the unit also needs clearance from windows, doors and the neighbor's house, both for exhaust and for noise, so the site is worth walking before the pad is poured.