If your house already has a transfer switch and you’ve got a smaller generator that’s compatible, you can use that, though you may have to limit which appliances you power with it.

Although you can install a manual transfer switch to switch over to the standby generator, most whole-house standby generators use an automatic transfer switch. When the electricity goes off, it ...

Consumer Reports explains how a transfer switch or interlock device works, so your portable generator is ready for the next storm.

When electric service is out in your area, you plug your portable generator into an outdoor outlet that’s connected, through the house, to a transfer switch inside.