"TomR" wrote in message
...
I know very little about this topic, including what the correct terminology
is. And, this is mostly just a curiosity question on my part.

But, I am curious as to what it roughly might cost for a typical gas
station to have an electrician install a mechanism where if the power goes
out in the neighborhood, a portable gas generator could be plugged in to
the electrical system to power the station and keep the lights and cash
registers on and pump gas to the public. I am not that interested in the
cost of the actual generators for this purpose -- just the cost to have
the electrical switch-over circuits installed and ready to be used if
needed.

Why? -- because I am often amazed when there is a hurricane or other
natural disaster that knocks the power out in a region, and thousands of
people need gas to evacuate, plus emergency services vehicles need gas to
operate during the disaster -- but the gas stations with tens of thousands
of gallons of gas stored underground are all closed because they have no
power to pump the gas that they have.


They can range from simple metal plates that are installed so you can not
have the main breaker on while the breaker for the generator is on, to a
seperate transfer panel.

The cost can be from less than $ 100 to $ 500 for the devices not counting
the labor to install them. I wold guess the electrician would not charge
more than $ 500 to $ 1500 for the more complicated systems. Probably less
than $ 100 or minimum service call to install the interlock plate thing.

Here is a link to the interlock plate so you can see how simple it is.
Almost anyone can install them.

http://www.interlockkit.com/