I’ve got a bit more money, so I’ve been looking at the more permanent generator solution.
I have done something different. Another Freeper referred to it as a "submarine" method.
I use stacked inverters with 8-L16 Trojan Batteries. These are sized to provide power for refrigeration, water, coms, and some lights for about 5KW a day. The generator runs for about 1.5 hours a day to charge the batteries and run other items such as laundry and central vacuum.
This method is a fuel extender and does provide a bit more opsec because of the noise from the generator. It is more expensive, however it does use much less fuel and is quiet in inverter mode.
We experience numerous power outages a year and have used this system for over 14 years. We replaced the batteries last summer and upgraded the generator. One of the technological advances in battery maintenance is the
BatteryMinder. This unit keeps the batteries charged and prevents sulfation.
This arrangement is worth it if you want to spend the money. When the electric goes out, the quiet inverter power up is just one switch away.
Another advantage of batteries is that you could spend some more money and buy solar panels and charge them during the day. That cuts down on the generator use, gives you noiseless operation when people tend to be up and about, and provides one more source of energy.
Even when you run out of propane and the natural gas cuts out, so long as the sun shines, you have some power to use.
And you could always buy a wind generator as well. And if you have a stream nearby, you could buy a water-powered generator.
One thing I’m working on is building up some LED lighting. Whenever I see clearance sales, I buy one or two. They use so little electricity, that if you were to use a battery system, you’d need very little to light up your house (and frankly, light is one of those things we all take too much for granted.