CY: Gasoline is a bit pricey. I'd guess propane is also pricey. If
you're in a rural area, makes me wonder if a diesel or propane
generator would pay for itself. Since you're not driving it on the
road, a diesel generator oughta be legal to run on home heating oil,
which is much less taxed t han road diesel.

Diesel generators can run on "off road" diesel - it simply has a dye in
it to identify it as such. It is taxed at a lower rate than the road
use fuel. Just don't get caught using it on your truck or something.

Home heating oil may or may not work well in a diesel engine. Depends
on the grade. Besides, its not cheap either. I would tend to run at #2
diesel in the summer and #1 (or a blend) in the winter to get the most
out of your generator. Going cheap will just cost you in maintenance
and repairs later on. The old saying goes, "you can pay now or pay
later..." Also, if you do consider a generator, be sure to spec it for
continous duty ("prime" power, not "standby" power) - have you
considered the noise factor?

I bet though, it you do the analysis, you'll find the power company
power to be the most cost effective for your situation. Wind power
might be something to consider. As others have said, solar probably
isn't a good choice for you. If you do some carefull analysis of your
electrical use, you will likely find several areas of savings. How big
a family? Are there multiple computers left on when they are not being
used? Are lights getting shut off when an area is unoccupied? What temp
is the A/C set at? Just bumping that up a couple of degrees can make a
difference. Other than the hot tube, you probably won't find much in
the way of big consumers of power. More than likely, its a lot of
little things that you don't realize are adding up to the big bill.