One of the things we did, before we put solar panels on our house, was a power survey. We actually measured the power draw of our house every day for a year by reading the power meter and keeping a notebook (great for power disputes as well :-). We discovered that we were using 23.2 kWh per day, or just under 1kW. But like the author our peak loads were higher (we don't have air conditioning or a pool so those power suckers aren't an issue). We also found that a 5.5kW generator would cover our needs.
So when the wiring was under modification for a kitchen remodel, we had the electrician install a transfer switch on which we put our 10 most 'useful' circuits. Then when the power went out we could fire up the generator outside, plug it into the transfer switch and transfer power from the AC 'mains' to the generator.
That works fine but you have to be careful because the power generated by Home Depot generator is pretty crappy power. The computer systems were protected by using a UPS system that used AC primary power for battery charging and ran the load off an inverter. At some point I'll find a datacenter throwing out an old AC line conditioner and I'll get that.
So when the wiring was under modification for a kitchen remodel, we had the electrician install a transfer switch on which we put our 10 most 'useful' circuits. Then when the power went out we could fire up the generator outside, plug it into the transfer switch and transfer power from the AC 'mains' to the generator.
That works fine but you have to be careful because the power generated by Home Depot generator is pretty crappy power. The computer systems were protected by using a UPS system that used AC primary power for battery charging and ran the load off an inverter. At some point I'll find a datacenter throwing out an old AC line conditioner and I'll get that.