KwTallyRunning watts, starting watts, and the number that actually sizes the unit.

Installed Cost

Unit, pad, gas line, transfer switch and permit — priced as separate lines.

5 articles

How much does a 18 kW standby generator cost in Federal Way, WA?

An 18 kW standby generator installed in Federal Way, WA
$13,544
the house including one air conditioner · typical range $10,010 – $18,254
Typical totalinstalled, 18 kw$13,544
Range you should see in bidsthree bids on the same scope normally land inside this$10,010 – $18,254
Labor portion45% of the job — this is the part that moves by city$6,095
Material portion55% — bought at national prices$7,449
Electricians pay near Federal Wayabout $48/hr · Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA metro$99,720/yr
U.S. mean for the same tradeSOC 47-2111$71,490/yr
Versus the national pricetrade pay here runs +39.5% against the U.S. mean+$2,044

Notes

  • Where the number comes from. The national price for an 18 kW standby generator installed is $11,500 installed — standby generator pricing published for 2026, unit plus installation. Labor is about 45% of that. Electricians near Federal Way, WA average $99,720 a year against a U.S. mean of $71,490 — a factor of 1.395 — so the labor half is scaled by that and the material half is not. Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 for the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA metro area, SOC 47-2111.
  • Why the city matters, not just the state. Trade pay moves inside a state as much as it does between states. Crews do not commute across a state to bid a job, and materials ship at national prices either way — so a metro wage is the honest input here and a state average quietly rounds four different cities into one number.
  • What is in the price: the generator, a concrete or composite pad, the transfer switch, electrical connection, gas piping from an existing supply, permit and commissioning.
  • What is not: a propane tank and its burial, a gas meter upsize where the utility requires one, trenching over long distances, and the annual service contract. These are the lines that turn a $13,544 quote into a $16,929 invoice, so ask about each one before signing.
  • Use this as a bid check, not a quote. It prices an average job in average condition. Difficult access, the state of what is being replaced, the season, and a crew booked out three months all move the real number, and none of them are in a national average for the job.

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