Quick answer: Craig’s offers two annual maintenance plans — a once-a-year **Standard plan ($399/year)** and a twice-a-year **Premium plan ($499/year)**. An active plan also cuts your after-hours dispatch fee roughly in half, which over time is often worth as much as the plan itself.
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Your Two Maintenance Plan Options
Tier | Visits per Year | Price | Best For
Standard | 1 | $399/year | Most residential installs
Premium | 2 | $499/year | A mid-year check before storm season, or units that see heavier use
> The part people miss: an active plan doesn’t just cover your scheduled visits — it also cuts your standard $175 after-hours dispatch fee down to about $87.50, half off. If you ever need an unscheduled repair, that discount alone can be worth more than what you paid for the plan.
What a Maintenance Visit Covers — and What DIY Doesn’t
A lot of generator owners handle basic upkeep themselves between visits — an oil, air filter, and spark plug kit runs about $46 and takes an afternoon. That’s a real, useful thing to do, and we encourage it. But it’s not a substitute for a maintenance visit. A trained technician also checks the things a DIY kit doesn’t touch: battery health and connections, transfer switch operation, exhaust and coolant systems on liquid-cooled units, wiring and control-board diagnostics, and a live test under load.
*Plain English: think of the DIY kit as what keeps the engine running between visits — the plan visit is what confirms the whole system will actually work when the power goes out.*
Two Charges That Aren’t Your Maintenance Plan
Two things customers sometimes mistake for part of the maintenance plan itself:
– Remote monitoring subscription (~$99/year)** — this covers the cellular connection that lets your generator report its status and alert you (and us) if something’s wrong. Generac units use Generac’s own Fleet/Mobile Link monitoring; other brands, like Kohler, use an alternative system called OmniMetrix. Either way, it’s billed separately from your maintenance plan.
– Monitoring hardware** *(liquid-cooled units)* — liquid-cooled systems use a cellular monitoring device with its own one-time equipment and installation cost, set up at install time. That’s a separate, one-time line item from your install — not an ongoing charge, and not part of either the plan or the $99/year subscription.
When You’re Billed
Your maintenance plan card charge may not land on the same day as your actual service visit — plans are typically billed on your renewal/payment date, which can be a few weeks off from when the technician actually comes out. That’s expected, not an error.
To make renewals easy, we keep your card securely on file through our Housecall Pro customer portal — never written down. Life gets busy, and having your card on file just helps us help you stay on track, especially since our schedule fills up fast. If the timing ever looks off, give us a call and we’ll walk through your specific renewal date.
What’s Not Covered, and What Can Cost Extra
Maintenance plans and standard warranty cover routine service and most repairs, but a few things are billed separately:
– Battery replacement — batteries are a wear item, not covered under warranty or the plan visit itself. Typical replacement cost: **~$165**.
– After-hours or emergency dispatch overtime — if you need a technician outside normal business hours, overtime labor isn’t covered by warranty. *(This is exactly the kind of call where the plan’s dispatch discount, above, matters most.)*
How Often Does My Generator Actually Need Service?
This varies by brand and by whether your unit is air-cooled or liquid-cooled — there isn’t one universal answer. Air-cooled units generally need attention sooner after heavy runtime than liquid-cooled units, and manufacturers differ on their first-service interval. Your service agreement will spell out the exact schedule for your specific unit — if you’re not sure, ask your technician at your next visit or give us a call.
Quick Questions About Maintenance
Does a lapsed maintenance plan affect my warranty?
Staying current on your maintenance plan is part of keeping your generator’s warranty coverage in good standing. If your plan has lapsed for a while, we may first need to get your generator back into good operating condition — which could mean an inspection and any needed repairs — before starting a new maintenance plan. We’ll cover exactly what your factory and extended warranty include in our next article.
Is the remote monitoring subscription required?
No — it’s optional, but worth considering. Remote monitoring lets us know what’s happening with your generator before we arrive for a service call, so our technician can bring the right part on the first trip instead of having to come back another day. It can also help you avoid an extra callout fee if a return visit would otherwise be needed.
Can I switch tiers later?
Yes — you can move between the Standard and Premium plan at your next renewal.
*Have a question about your specific plan? Reach out to your Craig’s Electrical project coordinator anytime.*