James,
Anyone considering using a generator and transfer switch should give the following link a look: http://www.generlink.com.
It’s an alternative to the most commonly used transfer switches and costs much less.
When I called my power company about it they were not familiar with [this brand of switches] but studied the info on it and approved it for installation, they also offered to install it and said they would probably stock them for customers needing back-up power supplies. Regards, – Keith