[Cementjungle]

Have a transfer switch installed in between the original breaker box and your new one. “Normal” would be connected to grid power, “Generator” would take power from your generator feed.

You may be surprised how little power you can get by with.

I'm leaning toward the minimal route, my wife is leaning toward the whole-house route.

The biggest issue is the A/C... and dealing with it's startup surge. The building code around here is another issue... there are certain requirements, so we do either have to split some circuits off to a separate panel or use the "smart switches" that automatically switch loads in and out when things start up. Even with a 27KW unit a little of that will be needed.

We're getting quotes from the main local companies, and should have more info early next week. We're dealing with companies that also deliver propane and work out of fortified buildings that gear up properly before hurricanes.

[RFEngineer]

“The biggest issue is the A/C”

If you insist on using your whole house AC you will need a substantial generator.

Another option is to purchase a small window unit and just cool a single room in your house. A 6000 Btu unit can be run with a 5kw genset and power most typical lights and plugs in your house.