Home generators and power stations

[HiMucker]

This latest storm has, as I'm sure it has for a lot of others, got me considering purchasing a stand by generator or home power station. I'm just not sure which would be the best option for our needs. We were lucky enough that we were only out of power for 24hrs max. We also have a stove that gives some heat to the radiators, so heating wasn't really an issue. Also only 5 min drive in to the city, so we aren't too rural. We probably experience a few power cuts a year, normally only for a few hours or less, max like Friday a day, though Im sure the potential is there for a longer power cut, given what others in Inishowen are experiencing. So basically the power cuts we have are more of an inconvenience, but wouldn't mind having something for a bit of back up, to cover wifi, charging, Tv , fridge freezer, and possibly heating. Anyone have any thoughts or experience on best options?

[J70]

I guess it depends on what you expect from it. Run the whole house like normal, or keep the food frozen and the lights on.

My remaining parent lives in Florida most of the year and we're looking at this option, i.e. whether they'd need a built in-hard-wired back-up generator where they just flick a switch, or if a portable petrol generator, maybe 5000W would keep them running for a few days after a hurricane when necessary. The latter probably would not support running A/C and so forth though.

[armaghniac]

I guess it depends on what you expect from it. Run the whole house like normal, or keep the food frozen and the lights on.

My remaining parent lives in Florida most of the year and we're looking at this option, i.e. whether they'd need a built in-hard-wired back-up generator where they just flick a switch, or if a portable petrol generator, maybe 5000W would keep them running for a few days after a hurricane when necessary. The latter probably would not support running A/C and so forth though.

In Florida, I would suggest that solar panels and a battery would be the way forward. Perhaps such a setup would not provide all the power usually used, but it would cut your bills at any time and provide a essential power in an outage.  The problem here is the short days in December-January.