[SVTCobra03]

Depending on the size of your house and the wattage needed by your appliances and central heat and air, you are looking at $10k to $20k.

[Jack of all Trades]

I have a 5500 Watt Generac that's given me good service for over ten years. During the storm I ran it for about 10 hours and it consumed about 3 gallons of gas. I can run the refrig, well, furnace if needed, lights and the TV. If I manage the load right I can run the electric hot water heater.

The big downfall of a single cylinder 3600 RPM generator is noise. I may look for an 1800 RPM generator to repair in the future, or possibly adapt a small car muffler to mine. It's not a huge issue though since I run it in a detached garage.

Do everyone a favor and have an electrician wire in a disconnect panel since it's very easy to kill yourself, your family or a line crew with a generator.