Power failures can be a real pain—and downright dangerous—if you're not prepared. At the very least, blackouts disable heating and air-conditioning systems, freezers, refrigerators, water pumps and lighting. If the power outage lasts for any length of time, your home can become uncomfortable and possibly uninhabitable: Your water pipes may freeze and burst, the food in your freezer may thaw and spoil, or your sump pump may fail, flooding your basement. Any of these events can quickly become expensive. If a blizzard blocks roads and you're snowed-in during subzero temperatures, grid failure can even be life-threatening.
Read more at Motherearthnews about choosing a home standby generator: link
Portable generators are available for power outages as well as campsite or jobsite use. Permanently mounted stand-by generators provide automatic power when the regular power supply is interrupted. Powered by natural gas, they can power selected circuits within a few seconds of a power failure. These are wise investments for areas that may experience frequent power outages. Depending on their wattage output, generators will run anything from a small lamp to a number of large appliances. To determine the size generator you will need, total the wattage of the maximum number of items you will be running simultaneously. For items with start up ratings higher than their run ratings, use the higher rating to determine your power requirements. Inductive load appliances and tools such as refrigerators, washers, and power tools require additional wattage for starting the equipment. The initial load only lasts for a few seconds on startup but is very important when calculating your total wattage.
For example: running a 100 watt light bulb, a 200 watt slow cooker, a 1,200 watt refrigerator with a start up wattage of 2,900 watts and a 750 watt TV would require 3,950 watts.learn more about generators at Lowe's: link