For the safety of Kootenai Electric Cooperative employees and the public, we track where backup generators are installed on our system and request all members who have installed generators call Kootenai Electric Cooperative at (208) 765-1200.
Generators can cause serious safety problems if improperly installed and could cause injury to Kootenai Electric Cooperative workers and the general public. All backup generator installations should have a transfer switch installed in accordance with the requirements of the National Electric Code. Transfer switch installations must be inspected by the State Electrical Inspector and we request that members provide Kootenai Electric Cooperative with a copy of the State Electrical Permit for the transfer switch installation.
Also, GenerLink™ has been approved for the Kootenai Electric Cooperative system. This is a five-inch device (for 200 amp service only) installed behind your electric meter by a Kootenai Electric Cooperative-approved, licensed electrical contractor. When you connect a portable generator to GenerLink™ and start it up, GenerLink™ automatically disconnects your house from the electric utility grid preventing the possibility of backfeed. Visit GenerLink.
Contact us at (208) 765-1200 or KEC Email for more information.
We also ask that members contact us at (208) 765-1200 if they have any on-site generation (such as wind or solar). Check out our member owned generation web page for more information.