Hi Jim,.
Hurricane season is just around the corner here in Florida and I am getting ready to buy a backup generator for my home. To be better informed, I have gone back and re-read all the past survivalblog entries on generators, so I am pretty much up to speed on it. My last step is to decide what size generator to buy. One additional piece of information that would be helpful to me, and probably others, is to have an idea of how much wattage it takes to run each of the various typical appliances in a home ranging from light bulbs up to air conditioners. That way I can then decide on what size generator to get based on which appliances my family members think they can/cannot do without verses how much we can afford to pay for a generator. Thanks so much, and God bless. – Joe.
JWR Replies: I consider a backup generator a “must ” for any family that is dependent upon grid power. I won’t be repetitious. (See my Wednesday, January 4, 2006 post in the SurvivalBlog Archives, as well as the follow-up posts during the next few days.) Instead, I will post three useful links on gensets that I’ve bookmarked in the past few months:
http://www.nwpwr.com/calculation_help/size_inv_&_gen.htm
http://www.flatheadelectric.com/custserv/safety/generator/SafetyGenerator.htm