STANDBY GENERATOR INSTALLATION
IN MARION, IOWA
In most towns, the first thing that decides what a generator install costs is the house. In Marion, it's the electric meter on the side of it.
Marion is served by two electric utilities, and which one you're on changes your install price by about $800 — before anyone has looked at your panel. It's the first thing we check, and it's the thing an inexperienced company would miss.
Hawkeye Electric has completed over 100 generator installs in Marion, IA. We have the experience to complete your generator install right the first time.
WHO SENDS YOUR ELECTRIC BILL
ALLIANT ENERGY
CUSTOMERS
If you're an Alliant customer, your install is the standard job — nothing utility-specific to add.
CORRIDOR ENERGY
CUSTOMERS
If you're a Corridor Energy customer, you will be required to install a lever bypass meter, which adds about $800. It's a straightforward change and it's not optional. What matters is that it's in your quote from the start rather than showing up as a change order.
Two houses on the in the same town can be on different utilities. If your home was built after 2021, there's a good chance your home already has a lever bypass meter and wont need upgrading. If you have Corridor Energy make sure you ask your generator company if you will need to upgrade your meter before committing to a project.
WHAT MOST MARION HOME ACTUALY NEED
Generator Sizing
The typical Marion home we work in runs 2,500 to 3,000 square feet, with one air conditioner, a gas furnace and a gas water heater.
That combination matters more than the square footage. Gas heat means your furnace only draws power for the blower, not for heat, and a gas water heater draws almost nothing. A 2,800 square foot Marion house on gas is a much smaller electrical load than a 2,000 square foot all-electric house somewhere else.
Which is why most Marion homes land in the 18–22 kW range — roughly $13,500 to $14,300 installed. That's the middle tier, and it covers the whole house including the air conditioning.
Homes that need more are the exceptions here: all-electric, geothermal, a second air conditioner, or a shop or outbuilding on the same service. We size from a load calculation, not from square footage — but if you want a number to hold in your head before we come out, the middle tier is the honest one for Marion.
ONE THING MARION HOMEOWNERS GET TO SKIP
There are essentially no propane homes inside the Marion city limits. Everything is on natural gas through MidAmerican.
That removes the single biggest challenges we run into in rural Linn and Johnson counties. On propane, tank size decides whether a generator works at all — we won't install one on a 250-gallon tank in Iowa, because in sub-zero weather it can't vaporize fast enough to keep up and the generator shuts down mid-outage. 320 gallons is our practical floor, and 500 is standard.
In Marion, that whole conversation goes away. Natural gas doesn't run out, doesn't need monitoring, and doesn't care how cold it is.
WHY WE DO A BREAK IN MAINTENANCE
We learned this one the hard way. Before the 2020 derecho we treated the break-in service as a recommendation rather than something we did ourselves. Then the derecho ran a lot of new units for days at a stretch, well past 25 hours on fresh engines, and we saw engine damage that shouldn't have happened. It's been part of our standard install ever since.
NEWER NEIGHBORHOODS
A lot of Marion's generator work is in the newer developments — the neighborhoods that grew in around Hunters Ridge Golf Course and the areas built alongside them.
Newer construction usually works in your favor. Modern 200-amp panels are the straightforward case: clean, correctly sized, and no surprises when we open them. Aging or corroded panels are what add cost, and there aren't many of those in these neighborhoods yet.
You may already have an electric meter with a lever bypass, and meter location also tends to be consistent within a development, so once we've installed in a subdivision we generally know what the next house on that street looks like before we get there.
Marion and the Derecho
WE WERE HERE FOR IT
Marion took the August 2020 derecho about as hard as anywhere in Linn County. The whole town was out for several days and we had many generators in the area that ran for the whole duration of the outage.
The derecho also taught us something we now build into every install. Before it, we treated Generac's 25-hour break-in service as a recommendation. Then the storm ran a lot of brand-new units for days at a stretch, well past 25 hours on fresh engines, and we saw engine damage that shouldn't have happened. It's been part of our standard install ever since, at no additional cost.
Generac's owner's manual is unambiguous about it: engine oil and filter must be changed after the first 25 hours of operation. Most companies skip it, because it means another trip back to your house.
Most companies that now install generators did not sell them before the Derecho, so they don't know what its like to handle and prepare for a wide spread power outage like we do. They have also not learned the same lessons we have. By partnering with Hawkeye Electric for your standby generator install, you are partnering with the most experienced company in the area.
Get a firm number for your Marion home.
We'll check which utility you're on, run a load calculation, look at your panel and your gas meter, and hand you a written quote that doesn't move.
The in-home assessment is free, and you get the quote whether you buy from us or not.
MAINTENANCE & SUPPORT
NOBODY IN THE MARKET SERVICES MORE GENERATORS THAN WE DO.
1,200+
GENERATORS MAINTAINED EVERY YEAR
24/7
SERVICE DEPARTMENT, 365 DAYS
5-7 YEAR
GENERAC PARTS, LABOR, & TRAVEL WARRANTY
1984
SERVING EASTERN IOWA SINCE
SERVICE AREA
Whole-Home Generator Service Across Eastern Iowa.
We install and service generators throughout Eastern Iowa.
Cedar Rapids
Marion
Hiawatha
Iowa City
North Liberty
Coralville
Tiffin
Robins
Solon
Mount Vernon
Lisbon
Surrounding