A whole-home generator in Delray Beach costs $11,000–$17,000 installed and permitted, depending on the size of the generator, the fuel line, the concrete pad, the transfer switch, and the permit. The range is wide because the price isn’t the generator — it’s the site.
What a whole-home generator costs in Delray Beach
The generator itself is the smallest part of the decision. The two most common whole-home sizes in the county are 22kW and 26kW. A 22kW generator — a Generac Guardian, for example — costs $5,500–$7,000. A 26kW generator — a Kohler 26RCA, for example — costs $7,000–$8,500. The difference isn’t the house size — it’s the air conditioning.
The installed cost, line by line
| Line item | Cost |
|---|---|
| Generator (22kW) | $5,500–$7,000 |
| Generator (26kW) | $7,000–$8,500 |
| Transfer switch | $2,000–$3,000 |
| Fuel line | $1,500–$2,500 |
| Concrete pad | $500–$1,000 |
| Permit | Confirming now (see the permit section below) |
| Electrical panel work (if needed) | $500–$1,500 |
| Installation labour | $2,000–$3,000 |
| Total | $11,000–$17,000 |
Figures last reviewed November 2026 · Sources: see ‘How we get our numbers’ on the About page.
Generators are installed one home at a time — there is no ‘buy now’ button here. If you’d like an installer to contact you about your home, call us, or join the consultation request list.
What the numbers leave out
The national average — $5,154, all-in — is 8 years out of date. It excludes the transfer switch, the fuel connection, the concrete pad and the permit, and it comes from a market where the housing stock is newer and the lots are bigger. And the price has been rising: generator installation costs have grown by 8.7% a year, on average, for the last decade. A national average tells you nothing about the price in Delray Beach.
The three things that move the price most
- The air conditioning. A 22kW generator will run a 3-ton air conditioner. A 26kW generator will run a 4-ton air conditioner. The difference is the air conditioning — not the house size.
- The fuel line. If the gas meter is on the other side of the house, the fuel line is longer — and the cost goes up.
- The permit. The permit fee is a percentage of the job value, so a more expensive install means a more expensive permit.
What it costs to run
About $10 per hour, at $3.10 per gallon, running at half load.
The tank. The tank is the part most people forget. A 22kW generator running at half load uses about 3.2 gallons of propane per hour. A 500-gallon tank — the most common size in the county — will run it for about 6 days. Specific setback and sizing rules are part of the city check described above, and we publish them here only once verified.
The monitoring. And if you’re not in the house to hear it start, you need to know it started. That’s what remote monitoring does — it tells you the generator is running, and it tells you if it isn’t. Mobile Link is free for the first year, and $100 a year after that.
The permit
We don’t publish fee or timeline figures we haven’t confirmed with the city, and we’re confirming Delray Beach’s current schedule now — this section will carry the exact numbers when that check is complete.
Not sure what size you’d need? The two most common whole-home sizes in the county are 22kW and 26kW — and the difference isn’t the house size, it’s the air conditioning.
The free Palm Beach County Generator Cost Guide — the full installed-cost breakdown, what each line item covers, and the questions to ask before you sign — by email, when the guide is ready.
Frequently asked questions
How much does a whole-home generator cost in Delray Beach?
$11,000–$17,000 installed and permitted, depending on the size of the generator, the fuel line, the concrete pad, the transfer switch, and the permit.
How much is the permit?
We don’t publish fee figures we haven’t confirmed. We’re confirming Delray Beach’s current permit schedule now, and this page will carry the exact numbers when that check is complete.
How long does the permit take?
We don’t publish timeline figures we haven’t confirmed. We’re confirming Delray Beach’s current schedule now, and this page will carry the exact numbers when that check is complete.
How far does the tank have to be from the house?
Specific setback rules are part of the city check described above, and we publish them here only once verified.
Nearby cities
- Boynton Beach generator cost
- Boca Raton generator cost
- Wellington generator cost
- West Palm Beach generator cost
- Jupiter generator cost
Or start with the full Palm Beach County cost breakdown.
What a whole-home generator is — and isn’t
Palm Beach Backup Power is an information and referral site. We publish the numbers, the rules, and the costs — and when the installer partner is in place, we refer you to a licensed installer for the work. We don’t install generators, and we don’t sell them. What we do is make the decision legible: what it costs, what the permit costs, what the fuel line costs, and what to ask before you sign.