Standby generator installer software, shown on a fictional standby generator company

Open the demo and you are inside Brindlewatt Standby Power, a fictional standby generator company running the real product: click anything, nothing changes.

See pricing — it's public · Why SelfConstruct

What works today for a generator company, and what is not available yet

The demo's welcome card says the same. The names, people, jobs and prices in this demo are illustrative.

The generator jobs in the demo

Each with what its estimate covers and how it is billed:

• Castellanos 22 kW home standby install — 22 kW generator, 200 A transfer switch, pad, gas and electrical runs (Fixed Price)
  Job notes: Both owners work from home; the power-down for the transfer-switch wiring is planned with them.
• Ferreira 26 kW home standby install — 26 kW generator, transfer switch, two load modules, trenched gas line (Fixed Price)
  Schedule: Electrical and gas permits → Trench for the gas line → Set the generator, gas line and transfer switch → Gas and electrical inspection → Start-up, transfer test and owner orientation.
  Daily log: “Set the pad and the 26 kW unit. The gas fitter ran the line in the trench dug yesterday; transfer switch mounted beside the main panel.”
• Nakamura generator maintenance visit — Maintenance visit with a new starting battery (Fixed Price)
  Schedule: Maintenance visit: oil, filters, plugs and battery test.
  Daily log: “Maintenance checklist: changed the oil, oil filter, spark plugs and air filter. The battery tested weak; replaced it. Ran the unit through a transfer test and checked the exercise schedule.”
• Okafor storm call: generator did not transfer — Storm call: transfer switch controller board (Time & Materials)
  Schedule: Storm call: generator running, no transfer.
  Daily log: “The generator was running but the transfer switch never picked up the house. The controller board in the switch had failed; replaced it from the truck, then transferred and retransferred twice. The unit is past its manufacturer warranty, so billed as time and materials.”
• Ploverhythe Veterinary Clinic 60 kW standby — 60 kW liquid-cooled standby, 400 A transfer switch, crane set (Fixed Price)
  Job notes: Surgery and kennels stay open during the install; the crane set is planned before opening hours.
  Schedule: Site assessment, load and fuel sizing → Electrical and gas permit applications → Gas meter upsizing by the utility → Crane set for the 60 kW unit → Transfer switch, gas line and wiring → Start-up and load-bank test.
  Daily log: “Site assessment with the clinic manager: 400 A three-phase service, natural gas at the street; surgery lights, freezers and kennel ventilation on the critical list. Load and fuel sizing notes: 60 kW liquid-cooled on natural gas, and the gas meter needs upsizing.”
• Abernathy load-management module add — Load-management module for the air conditioner (Fixed Price)
  Schedule: Add a load-management module for the air conditioner.
  Daily log: “Added a load-management module on the air-conditioner circuit and checked that the air conditioner sheds and comes back during a transfer.”

Walk through one generator job: Castellanos 22 kW home standby install

Its schedule, in order:

1. Site assessment and load sizing
2. Electrical and gas permits
3. Gas meter upsizing by the utility
4. Generator and transfer switch delivered
5. Set pad and generator, run gas line
6. Gas and electrical inspection
7. Start-up and transfer test

Change orders on this job: “Longer gas line to the new meter”; “Second load-management module for the dryer”.

Purchase orders on this job: “22 kW generator and 200 A transfer switch, Castellanos”.

From its daily log:

• Site assessment: 200 A service, natural gas at the meter; the air conditioner, well pump and range are on the load list. Load sizing notes: 22 kW with one load-management module. Weather: Sunny.
• Set the composite pad and the generator. Ran the gas line from the new meter to the unit and capped it for the pressure test ahead of the inspection. Weather: Clear and cold.

A generator proposal in the demo: Whole-home standby generator, 24 kW

Brindlewatt Standby Power sent it to a lead. The scope reads:

Set a 24 kW air-cooled standby generator on a composite pad with a 200 A service-rated transfer switch and two load-management modules; run the gas line and the wiring; pull the permits; start up, test the transfer and register the warranty.

The notes on that lead:

• Lost power for two days in the ice storm; the well pump and the sump are on her list
• Site assessment: 200 A service, natural gas at the meter, 24 kW with two load-management modules
• Sent the proposal with the 26 kW unit as an option

Other generator leads in the demo

• Standby generator for a cabin on propane: Cabin on propane; wants the refrigerator, well pump and furnace to stay on
• Standby generator for the booster pump station: Walked the pump station with the district's operator; three-phase service, fuel choice still open
• Standby generator quote after the outage

What goes on a generator estimate in the demo

From Brindlewatt Standby Power's price list, without the prices:

• Air-cooled home standby generator, 22 kW
• Air-cooled home standby generator, 26 kW
• Liquid-cooled standby generator, 60 kW, natural gas
• Automatic transfer switch, 200 A, service-rated
• Automatic transfer switch, 400 A, three-phase
• Load-management module
• Composite generator pad
• Cold-weather kit (battery and oil warmer)
• Whole-house surge protective device
• Remote monitoring device
• Gas pipe run, above ground, per foot
• Wire and conduit run, per foot
• Trenching, per foot
• Electrical and gas permits
• Start-up, transfer test and warranty registration
• Install labor, per hour
• Maintenance labor, per hour
• Repair labor, per hour
• Diagnostic and trip charge
• Storm-response surcharge
• Maintenance kit (oil, oil filter, spark plugs, air filter)
• Starting battery
• Transfer switch controller board

Generator cost codes in the demo

Brindlewatt Standby Power's own cost codes:

• Site assessment and design
• Permits and fees
• Utility, HOA and fuel-supplier coordination
• Generator equipment
• Transfer switch and load management
• Accessories (battery, cold-weather kit, surge, monitoring)
• Pad and site prep
• Gas piping
• Electrical installation
• Trenching and boring
• Rigging, crane and lift
• Fuel (propane tank set and fill, diesel)
• Start-up and commissioning
• Inspections and re-inspections
• Warranty registration and extended warranty
• Restoration and cleanup
• Maintenance labor
• Repair labor
• Service parts
• Load-bank testing
• Financing fees
• Supervision
• Contingency

Questions about SelfConstruct for generator work

Is there a generator version of SelfConstruct?

Not as a separate product. Brindlewatt Standby Power opens with the business type “Standby generators”, so its menus are set for that trade. In a customer's company today, the menus are the same whatever the trade.

Can a generator job be fixed price or time and materials?

Both are in the demo: Brindlewatt Standby Power's “Castellanos 22 kW home standby install” is a fixed-price job, and “Okafor storm call: generator did not transfer” is billed time and materials.

Does SelfConstruct have “A pricebook with margin floors, service agreements and truck stock” for generator companies yet?

Not yet. It is on the list the demo's welcome card shows under “Not available yet for your trade”.

See it working right now

Pricing is published on the site: $299/mo per company before sales tax, unlimited users, 50 GB of storage included.

Book a walkthrough · Construction Software by Trade

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