Serving Champaign, Urbana, and Central Illinois

Home Generator Installation & Repair in Champaign, IL

Whole-Home or Select-Circuit? We'll Help You Decide.

Not every home needs the same backup. Some homeowners want everything covered, no exceptions. Others just need the furnace, the fridge, and a few outlets to keep running. Both are real options, and the right one depends on your home and your budget.

Whole-Home Backup

Every circuit stays on, from your HVAC to your kitchen. Nothing shuts off, nothing to prioritize. The power outage barely registers.

Select-Circuit Backup

A smaller system wired to what matters most. Your furnace, fridge, and sump pump keep running. A smart choice if you only need the essentials covered

How a Home Standby Generator Works

No manual start, no fuel runs, no waiting around. Once it’s installed, the system handles the entire outage on its own from start to finish.

01

Power Goes Out

Your home loses utility power.

02

The Generator Detects It

It kicks on automatically within seconds of sensing the outage. No one has to start it or flip a switch.

03

Your Home Switches Over

The system takes over and keeps running for as long as the outage lasts, whether that's a few hours or a few weeks.

04

Utility Power Returns

The generator shuts itself off automatically once power is back.

Generac standby generator beside a home with storm clouds overhead

What We Look At Before Recommending a System

Generators come in a range of sizes, and the right one depends on more than square footage. Before we recommend a system, we look at a few key factors. That’s how you get a generator sized for your home, not a generic recommendation.

We walk through a full load calculation with you, so the size we recommend actually fits your home.

Experienced Professionals

Our trusted team delivers quality work with clear answers, dependable service, and no surprises.

24/7 Emergency Services

Systems don’t wait for business hours, and breakdowns don’t check the clock. Luckily, our team is ready 24/7.

Icon of a leaf inside a gear, representing energy-efficient and environmentally friendly solutions.

Energy-Efficient Solutions

We help you choose smart, energy-efficient systems that reduce waste, cut costs, and keep things running strong.

Flexible Financing

Costs are up everywhere, and we get it. Flexible financing gives you room to breathe—and still get the job done.

AUTHORIZED GENERAC DEALER

Certified Generac dealer. We also work on other brands, no upselling.

Locally Owned

Locally owned means we’re never far when you need us, and we actually know what a cold Illinois day feels like.

Signs Your GeneratorNeeds Attention

Generators are built to run for years, but they’ll show warning signs before something fails. Catching these early is the difference between a quick service call and a generator that doesn’t start when you need it most.

If something feels off, don’t wait for an outage to find out.

Generac Guardian 22kW standby generator, studio product shot
Carrie Miller
1 day ago
Mike came right away, happened to have the exact part that we needed, and fixed it quickly! Very happy with his professionalism and skill!
Response from the owner:Hi Carrie, Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a review. We appreciate it! We are glad Mike was able to fix everything quickly and we hope you’ll call us again!
Jennifer Somers
1 day ago
The gentleman installing my water heater was prompt and efficient and definitely knew what he was doing I highly recommend using this company.
Response from the owner:Hi Jennifer, Thank you for choosing us to install your new water heater. We are so glad to hear you were pleased with the experience and we hope to do work for you again in the future. We really appreciate your review!
Serhiy Potishuk
1 day ago
Installed level 2 EV charger at my home. Knowledgeable, quick and professional. High quality of work. Always received my calls, never had to wait on the line.
Response from the owner:Hi Serhiy, Thanks for the review! The office will be glad to know you were pleased with their customer service and our electricians strive to be quick, and professional so they will appreciate that as well. Thank you for choosing C-U Trade Services for your EV charger installation!
Jeffrey McCoy
2 days ago
Called C-U earlier today. Wednesday, September 2nd about the issue of my AC unit running but only outputting warm air. Didn’t expect to receive same day service. The office manager said he could have someone come to my house after 2;30. And sure enough. The technician arrived right on time. Inspected my system, identified the problem, repaired it, rechecked the unit to make sure it was functioning correctly. And charged me an extremely acceptable price for fast accurate and 100% efficient service.Definitely a 5 star encounter in a highly competitive market. Totally worth the price.
Response from the owner:Hi Jeffrey, Thank you so much for the review! It is a hot week this week and we always try to get out as fast as we can and I am so glad to hear we had you back up and running with cool air quickly. We appreciate you taking the time to tell others about your experience and we hope you will call us again for any HVAC, Plumbing or Electrical services you may need!
Wei Zhu
2 days ago
CU plumbing people are really knowledgeable and suggest solutions that would serve customers best! 👍
Response from the owner:Thank you for your kind words! We're glad our team could provide helpful solutions. 👍

Proudly Serving

Champaign, Danville

& Urbana IL

Our team is spread across Central Illinois, with offices in Champaign and Danville. We regularly serve a wide range of nearby towns and rural areas, and our techs are always on the move. Not sure if you’re in our service area? Give us a call anyway. You might be, and if not, we’ll try to make it work.

Generator FAQs

It depends on what you want backed up and how your home is set up. We walk through a full load calculation with you before recommending a size, so it actually fits your home.

No. We’re a certified Generac dealer and it’s what we recommend most, but we install and service other brands too.

It can, if that’s what you want. Whole-home and select-circuit are both real options, and we’ll help you figure out which one fits your home and budget.

Natural gas or propane. If you don’t have a gas line, we’ll walk you through propane tank sizing and placement.

The physical work usually takes a few hours. The full process, including permitting and site prep, typically runs several weeks. We’ll walk you through the timeline before anything starts.

No. The system detects the outage and switches over automatically, whether you’re home or not.

Yes. If you already have a portable generator, we can install a manual transfer switch so you can use it safely without running extension cords through the house.

Ready to Stop Worrying About the Next Outage?

Whether you’re starting from scratch or your current system needs attention, we’ll help you figure out the right next step.