01 / Why this exists
One national average hides the decisions that matter.
Generator equipment is only one part of an installed project. Transfer equipment, electrical work, fuel distance, site preparation, permits, and panel conditions can materially change the total. Generator Budget keeps those lines visible so a homeowner can ask better questions.
02 / How the model is maintained
Versioned assumptions, visible boundaries.
Every estimate includes low, typical, and high totals plus an itemized cost breakdown.
The tool does not replace an electrical load calculation, fuel design, code review, or contractor quote.
Equipment and project allowances are reviewed quarterly and when market conditions change materially.
The interactive calculator and crawlable cost benchmarks use the same pricing engine.
03 / Independence
No installer lead form inside the estimate.
The calculator does not require an email address, route results to a sales team, or change an estimate based on a preferred installer. Manufacturer and retailer links are used as calibration references and do not control the model output.
04 / Responsibility and corrections
One real maintainer, a visible review boundary, and a reproducible correction path.
The Generator Budget project maintainer owns the calculation models, source ledgers, public explanations, tests, and correction record. Routine source and model review is scheduled quarterly; tax-year changes, manufacturer guidance, official-source failures, supported-scope changes, and reproducible user corrections trigger an earlier review.
Review checks whether the implemented rule matches the cited evidence and documented boundary. It is not an independent electrical, fuel, structural, code, tax, or contractor review of a visitor's project. When outside professional review has not occurred, the site says so instead of implying a credential or approval that does not exist.
To report a problem, send the affected page, input scenario, observed result, expected result, and supporting source through the Contact correction path. Accepted corrections update the model, tests, method or source record together so the published explanation does not drift from the implementation.