Generator installation cost in Colorado
About $10,969 to $15,569 covers installing a 22 kW whole house generator running on natural gas, in Colorado. Pay here is $31.88 an hour for electricians, 7% less than the $34.37 US average, and that wage drives the electrician cost line, $2,800 to $5,100.
Is 22 kW the right fit? Use three questions to size your house.
What each size costs to install in Colorado
Colorado prices for fuel at half load. Generac posts a fuel table for each model. The 18 kW and 24 kW models, plus the 26 kW model, are rated to use no more fuel per hour than the size below, so hourly fuel use doesn't climb in step with kW.
| Size | Natural gas, installed | Gas at half load | Propane, installed | Propane at half load | Fuel figures |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 kW | $8,219 to $12,819 | $1.43/h | $8,419 to $13,219 | $2.30/h | Generac Guardian 10 kW |
| 14 kW | $9,549 to $14,149 | $2.77/h | $9,749 to $14,549 | $4.29/h | Generac Guardian 14 kW |
| 18 kW | $10,369 to $14,969 | $2.40/h | $10,569 to $15,369 | $4.03/h | Generac Guardian 18 kW |
| 22 kW | $10,969 to $15,569 | $2.89/h | $11,169 to $15,969 | $6.00/h | Generac Guardian 22 kW |
| 24 kW | $11,389 to $15,989 | $2.88/h | $11,589 to $16,389 | $6.00/h | Generac Guardian 24 kW |
| 26 kW | $11,819 to $16,419 | $2.67/h | $12,019 to $16,819 | $4.89/h | Generac Guardian 26 kW |
Breakdown of the 22 kW cost in Colorado
Labor runs up to $400 below US average pay here, where the $31.88 hourly rate ranks 32nd of 51.
| Line, 22 kW | Natural gas | Propane | Basis |
|---|---|---|---|
| Generator | $6,309 | $6,309 | Bundle list price from Generac for 22 kW, without the switch |
| Transfer switch | $1,060 | $1,060 | Difference between Generac's prices with the switch and without it |
| Electrician: switch, wiring, start-up | $2,800 to $5,100 | $2,800 to $5,100 | install ranges published, based on the $31.88 an hour Colorado wage (BLS) |
| Fuel line | $500 to $1,900 | $700 to $2,300 | A meter feeds the gas line; the tank feeds the propane line. |
| Pad and permit | $300 to $1,200 | $300 to $1,200 | composite pad or slab, local fees |
| Installed | $10,969 to $15,569 | $11,169 to $15,969 | propane leaves out the tank |
Colorado fuel cost
| Fuel | Price | 22 kW an hour | Three days |
|---|---|---|---|
| Natural gas | $14.19 per 1,000 ft³ | $2.89 | $208 |
| Propane | $2.37 a gallon | $6.00 | $432 (182 gal) |
In Colorado, gas costs less: half load on a 22 kW runs $2.89 an hour, compared with $6.00 on propane. For residential gas, this state ranks 7th cheapest of 51.
| Propane tank | Usable at 80% | 22 kW at half load | Fill at Colorado price |
|---|---|---|---|
| 250 gal | 200 gal | 79 h | $474 |
| 500 gal | 400 gal | 158 h | $949 |
Colorado outages
In 2025, Colorado customers lost power for an average of 273 minutes, near the US figure of 269, and the state ranks 21st highest of 51. Major storms accounted for 57% of it; on ordinary days, outages came to 117 minutes. Of the last ten years, 2025 was the worst, and the ten-year average was 167 minutes.
Year by year since 2016
| Year | Minutes out, all events | Rank of 51 states | Without major storms |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 273 | 21st | 117 |
| 2024 | 257 | 31st | 119 |
| 2023 | 100 | 47th | 89 |
| 2022 | 144 | 41st | 97 |
| 2021 | 185 | 30th | 105 |
| 2020 | 136 | 40th | 83 |
| 2019 | 185 | 32nd | 84 |
| 2018 | 100 | 50th | 87 |
| 2017 | 133 | 40th | 80 |
| 2016 | 155 | 35th | 84 |
Colorado utilities and their 2025 outages
| Utility | Customers | Minutes out | Outages each | Minutes per outage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Public Service Co of Colorado | 1,542,120 | 360 | 1.58 | 228 |
| City of Colorado Springs | 261,349 | 41 | 0.68 | 60 |
| CORE Electric Cooperative | 181,698 | 381 | 0.97 | 393 |
| United Power, Inc | 117,131 | 303 | 1.18 | 257 |
| Black Hills Colorado Electric, LLC | 111,502 | 95 | 0.90 | 105 |
In 2025, customers of CORE Electric Cooperative had 381 minutes without power, while City of Colorado Springs had 41 minutes. The 9.3 to one spread means your street's utility matters more than the 273 minute statewide figure. Across all utilities, customers lost power 1.30 times during the year on a customer-weighted average, compared with 1.35 across the US. Outages on Public Service Co of Colorado lines lasted 228 minutes on average, or about 3.8 hours. A 22 kW generator at half load would use $11.00 of gas during that time.
Major FEMA disasters in Colorado since 2016
Of the 4 major disasters declared in all, 3 were wildfires and 1 was a flood, with the most recent in September 2026 and COVID-19 left out. Wildfires accounted for 3; utilities in fire country also shut off power on purpose during high winds, and those shutoffs are never counted as declarations.
| Declared | Disaster | FEMA number |
|---|---|---|
| September 2026 | Wildfires, Flooding, and Mudslides | DR-4944 |
| August 2023 | Severe Storms, Flooding, and Tornadoes | DR-4731 |
| December 2021 | Wildfires and Straight-Line Winds | DR-4634 |
| January 2021 | Wildfires | DR-4581 |
Colorado and neighboring states
| State | 22 kW on gas, installed | Wage | Minutes out |
|---|---|---|---|
| Colorado | $10,969 to $15,569 | $31.88 | 273 |
| Arizona | $10,769 to $15,269 | $30.88 | 69 |
| Kansas | $11,069 to $15,769 | $33.27 | 193 |
| Nebraska | $10,769 to $15,269 | $30.75 | 543 |
| New Mexico | $10,569 to $14,869 | $28.66 | 162 |
| Oklahoma | $10,769 to $15,269 | $30.49 | 297 |
| Utah | $10,869 to $15,369 | $31.39 | 117 |
| Wyoming | $11,269 to $16,469 | $35.99 | 224 |
5 of 7 neighbors charge less to install. New Mexico comes in lowest at $10,569, and Wyoming highest at $11,269. Prices vary less than outage times: Nebraska logged 543 minutes in 2025, while here the figure was 273.
Figures come from BLS wages (May 2025), EIA gas data (March to August 2026), EIA propane prices (October 26, 2026), EIA outage records, EIA-861, FEMA. All states.