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The transfer switch is the component that actually decides where your home's power comes from — utility or generator — and it's what makes a standby generator's automatic startup safe and code-compliant.
An automatic transfer switch (ATS) sits between the utility meter, your generator, and your electrical panel. When it detects a utility outage, it disconnects your home from the grid and connects it to the generator, then reverses the process once utility power returns — critically, it also prevents backfeeding power into utility lines, which protects repair crews.
A transfer switch is sized to your panel's amperage, not just your generator — undersizing it is a common and expensive-to-fix mistake, which is why load calculation should happen before the switch is ordered.
