Santa Barbara · Generator Installation and Service
Generator Rentals
Portable, towable and trailer generators from 5kW to 500kW, delivered, connected and fuelled for construction, events, film and industry.
Generator Rentals · Santa Barbara
What We Rent And Who Rents It
Generator rentals cover the jobs where power is needed for a week, a season or a single Saturday. Our fleet runs from small portable gas units suitable for a market stall or a trade booth, through quiet inverter sets for weddings and film work, up to towable diesel and trailer generators from 25kW to 500kW for construction sites, industrial shutdowns and large events. Construction generator rental is the steadiest part of it: raw lots where the temporary service is still weeks away, tear-downs, remodels where the panel is out, and public works jobs that need Tier 4 Final certified equipment to satisfy the specification. Event generator rental is the most demanding, because a wedding at a ranch in the Santa Ynez Valley cares as much about noise and cable routing as it does about kilowatts. In between sit industrial generator rental for plant shutdowns and seasonal peaks, and commercial generator rental for businesses trading through a utility outage or a panel upgrade. Every rental goes out fuelled, tested and with the right cable and distribution for the job, and we deliver and collect rather than handing you a trailer and a hitch. If the same need keeps coming back every year, a permanent backup generator is usually the cheaper answer and we will say so.
Why Rent From Us
The failure mode on a rental is almost never the generator. It is a unit that arrives at the wrong time, or is the wrong size, or comes with cable that is fifty feet short, or gets dropped on grass at a wedding venue where the truck then leaves ruts across the lawn. We deliver, place, connect and test rather than dropping equipment at a gate, and on events we walk the site first so the cable run and the unit location are settled before the day. Everything in the fleet is serviced on the same schedule as our customers’ permanent equipment, because our name is on both. We are also the same company that installs and repairs standby systems, which means a rental can turn into an emergency bridge if your own unit fails, and we already know how your building is wired. Fuel is delivered on a schedule for long-term rentals rather than left as your problem.
- Delivered, placed, connected and load tested, with collection included in the rate.
- 5kW portables to 500kW towable diesel sets, plus quiet inverter units for events.
- Tier 4 Final certified equipment for public works and air-quality restricted sites.
- Cable, distribution boards and spider boxes supplied to suit the job rather than sold separately.
- Scheduled fuel delivery on long-term rentals, with remote monitoring on the larger sets.
- Site walk before event deliveries so placement and cable routing are agreed in advance.
Reasons To Rent A Generator
The jobs that put a rental unit on site:
Construction with no service yet
Ground-up builds, tear-downs and remote lots where the temporary power pole is weeks out and the schedule will not wait. Construction generator rental is the most common thing we deliver, usually on a monthly rate with fuel on a schedule, and it moves around the site as the work does.
Weddings and private events
Ranch and vineyard venues across the Santa Ynez Valley, estate properties in Montecito and the beach parks all run short of power once catering, lighting, sound and a band are on site. Wedding generators need to be quiet and invisible as much as adequately sized, and the placement conversation matters more than the specification.
Festivals, markets and public events
Food vendors, stages, refrigeration, lighting and vendor rows all draw more than organizers estimate, and a single overloaded circuit takes out half a row. Event generator rental with proper distribution is what keeps that from happening, and we will help work out the load before the day.
Film and television location work
Productions need quiet power, clean output for sensitive equipment and a driver who understands that a running engine near a live set is a problem. We supply inverter and sound-attenuated units with the cable runs planned around the shot rather than around the truck.
Planned utility shutdowns and upgrades
Panel replacements, service upgrades, transformer work and scheduled utility outages all take a building offline for a day or several. Commercial generator rental lets a business keep trading through it, and for most operations that is dramatically cheaper than closing.
Emergencies and equipment failure
When a permanent set fails or an outage runs long, a rental is the bridge. We keep units on the yard for exactly that, and existing service customers get first call on them during widespread events.
Give us the equipment list or the event plan and the dates, and we will size it and quote it the same day. Call: (805) 572-7405
How A Rental Works
Sized on the call, delivered ready to run, collected when you are done.
1. Sizing and quote
You tell us what has to run: tools, lifts, pumps, refrigeration, lighting, catering, sound. We work out running and starting load and quote a flat rate including delivery, connection, collection and the cable you actually need. On events and awkward sites we will come and look first.
2. Delivery and connection
The unit arrives fuelled and tested. We place it where the truck can also reach it for fuel and collection, level it, ground it, connect the distribution and run it under load before we leave. On grass and gravel we lay track or plate where needed rather than leaving ruts behind.
3. Fuel and monitoring
Long-term rentals get scheduled fuel delivery, with remote monitoring on the larger sets so we can see run hours and fuel level rather than relying on somebody to check a gauge. Short-term rentals go out full and come back however they come back.
4. Collection
You call when the job is done and we collect, usually within a day or two. On event work we typically deliver the day before and collect the next working day, which is priced as a weekend rate rather than three separate days.
Sizes, Fuel, Distribution And Rates
The detail underneath a rental quote:
Portable and inverter units
Roughly 5kW to 12kW gas generators for market stalls, trade booths, small tools and residential outages, plus quiet inverter sets where noise is the main constraint and the equipment is sensitive. These are collected and delivered in a pickup and suit jobs measured in hours or days.
Towable and trailer generators
Sound-attenuated diesel sets from 25kW to 500kW on road-legal trailers, which is the standard fit for construction, industrial and large event work. Trailer generators can be repositioned around a site as the work moves and are the easiest category to scale up if the load turns out bigger than expected.
Diesel and gas rentals
Diesel generators dominate the mid and large sizes for output per gallon and stamina under sustained load. Gas generators suit smaller portable work and sites where fuel handling is unwelcome. On anything running more than a few days, diesel with scheduled delivery is nearly always the cheaper answer.
Cable, distribution and spider boxes
The generator is half the rental. Cable of the right size and length, distribution boards, spider boxes and the correct connectors are what make it usable and safe, and undersized cable is the single most common problem on sites that hire equipment from a general rental yard.
Construction and industrial rental
Monthly rates with fuel delivery and service included, Tier 4 Final certified units for public works and permitted sites, and repositioning around the site as work progresses. Longer-term industrial requirements often work out better as a purchase, which the industrial generator page covers.
Event and wedding rental
Quiet units placed out of sight and out of earshot, cable routed and matted where guests walk, and enough headroom that the catering crew turning everything on at once does not trip anything. We would rather bring slightly more capacity than have a photographer working by phone light.
Fuel policy
Units go out full. Short rentals come back full or we refuel and bill the difference at cost plus a modest service charge. Long-term rentals go on scheduled delivery with fuel billed as used, which is cheaper and stops anybody having to think about it.
What Generator Rental Costs
Rental is quoted by size and duration, and the daily rate drops sharply as the term extends. As a guide, small portables run roughly $75 to $150 a day, a 25kW to 60kW towable set is around $250 to $500 a day or $2,000 to $4,000 a month, and larger 150kW to 500kW sets are quoted per project. What moves it:
- Size. Right-sizing saves money twice, since an oversized set costs more to rent and burns more fuel doing less work.
- Duration. Daily, weekly and monthly rates exist and the monthly is far cheaper per day. Anything past about ten days should be on a monthly rate.
- Fuel. Included in the quoted rate on short rentals as a full tank. On long-term rentals it is delivered on schedule and billed as used.
- Distribution. Cable, spider boxes and distribution panels are quoted with the unit rather than discovered on delivery day.
- Delivery and access. Anywhere on our normal county routes is included. Remote valley sites, awkward access and jobs needing plating or matting are quoted up front.
- Timing. Weekend and holiday deliveries, same-day emergency drops and mid-event service sit outside the normal route and carry a premium.
Quotes are flat and include delivery, connection and collection. If you are renting several times a year, we will do the arithmetic with you on whether a permanent backup generator costs less over three years, because it very often does. The full range of generator services we offer in Santa Barbara is on the home page.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to rent a generator?
Small portable units run roughly $75 to $150 a day. A 25kW to 60kW towable diesel set is about $250 to $500 a day, or $2,000 to $4,000 on a monthly rate which works out far cheaper per day. Larger 150kW to 500kW sets are quoted per project. Every quote includes delivery, connection, the cable and distribution you need, and collection at the end.
What size generator do I need for my event?
It depends on catering, lighting, sound and refrigeration rather than on guest count alone. As a rough guide, a small backyard wedding with lighting and a sound system is fine on 10kW to 20kW, while a full ranch venue with commercial catering, staging and a band is usually 45kW to 100kW. Send us the vendor list and we will size it properly, because under-ordering is the most common event mistake we see.
Do you deliver and set up, or do I collect it?
We deliver, place, ground, connect and test everything except the smallest portables, which customers sometimes prefer to collect themselves. On event and ranch sites we place the unit where it will not be heard or seen and where the truck can still reach it, and we lay matting or plate on soft ground rather than leaving ruts behind.
How does fuel work on a rental?
Units go out with a full tank. Short-term rentals come back full, or we refuel on collection and bill the difference at cost plus a small service charge. Long-term construction and industrial rentals go on scheduled fuel delivery, with the larger sets monitored remotely so we top up before anyone has to notice, and fuel billed as used.
How quickly can you deliver a generator?
Most of the county gets next-day delivery, and same-day is often possible when a suitable unit is on the yard, which matters during an outage. Events should be booked well ahead, particularly between May and October when the wedding and festival calendar takes most of the quiet units. During widespread outages we run the queue on need and on existing service agreements.
Are your rental units quiet enough for a wedding?
Yes, if we place them properly. Sound-attenuated and inverter units run in the low 60s of decibels at a distance, and at 100 feet behind a hedge or a building nobody notices them. Placement does more than the specification here, which is why we walk the venue beforehand on anything where the ceremony and the generator are going to share a field.
Need power that stays on?
Tell us the property and what has to keep running, and we will come back the same day with a free estimate and a flat installed price.
Or call us now: (805) 572-7405