About Hoffman Electric
Serving Marin Since 2005
John Hoffman began Hoffman Electric in 2005, after working as an apprentice electrician for five years under Walter Underhill, another local Marin electrician. Walter taught John a dedication to excellence in all aspects of his business, and he carries on in that tradition.
Since founding his own company, John has developed working relationships with several other electrical contractors, including Lamperti Contracting and Design and G Family Construction, as well as frequently joining Walter Underhill on projects. Gail Koren, Jeff Sterley and other realtors have also come to rely on Hoffman Electric for reliable efficient electrical work during the real estate sales process.
John’s professional relationships allow him to take on residential electrical projects of all size. They give him the flexibility of bringing other electricians on board for a project, while keeping overhead costs low to give you affordable rates.
John is married with four children, and values family life. He keeps them active in outdoor activities like camping and hiking in Marin and Sonoma. John also enjoys rock climbing in Yosemite.
What we can do for you!
Lighting
Custom Designs – Interior & Exterior
Recessed – Pendant – Accent
Landscape – Motion – Dusk to Dawn
Panels
Upgrades – New Meters
Breaker Replacement
Switches & Outlets
GFI Protection
Dimmers – 3 Way Systems
Convenience Outlets
Troubleshooting
Tripped Breakers
Flickering Lights
Hot Switches/Outlets
Loss of Power
Energy Efficiency
Occupancy Sensors
Motion Sensors & Photocells
Timed Switching
Watt Saving Light Bulbs
Dimmers – Attic Fans
Ballast Retrofits
Your Honest and Reliable Marin Electrician
Hoffman Electric is a local Marin electrical contractor specializing in light commercial and residential electrical work. Since 2005, we have developed a reputation for professional electrical work at fair rates with a courteous, friendly customer experience.
We hold an A+ rating from the Better Business Bureau, and we have reviews from satisfied customers on Yelp!
Site Content
A message about backup generators
We have received many requests to add generator transfer switches to main panels for use during PG&E outages. It is possible that many people are not aware that this is not a necessary step in order to use a portable generator to power a couple appliances. A portable gas generator can be purchased by a homeowner from Home Depot or Friedmans or Pini Hardware etc and run during outages in a well ventilated outdoor space. An extension cord can be run from the generator to the house and power a freezer or fridge or a few temporary floor lamps and chargers as needed. It is not necessary to connect a generator to the main electrical panel unless you would like to power a few (but not all) circuits in your house. We have had several clients be shocked at the cost of adding a transfer switch which can be from $2,000 to $10,000 depending on how the home electrical is set up for that house and whether their panel needs to be replaced in order to make space for a transfer switch.
In addition to the cost, it has become difficult to navigate through all of the red tape the different city building departments require in order to install these switches and back up generators.
All of this is to say that we will no longer be working on projects regarding back up generators and transfer switches.
Below I have linked an image of a generator "through the wall" transfer kit that you can have John install for you. The generator can be plugged into the outside plug and on the inside wall there will be a bank of switches to connect to. I would be happy to schedule appointments to install these units or others like them and this will be a much simpler project and less cost to our clients than the panel transfer switch route.