"zxcvbob" wrote in message
...

I want to be able to run my furnace blower, gas oven ignitors, refrigerator,
TV, laptop computer, and a few fluorescent lights during an extended power
outage during the winter. Or during the summer, the same thing except a 8000
BTU (11 EER) window A/C instead of the furnace.

If you expect that the EU will normally be loaded above 1000 watts, you will
get little benefit from the inverter technology. The really great thing about
the inverter units is that they modulate engine speed depending on load. Over
about 60% load (the EU 2000 is really only rated at 1600 watts) your EU will be
reving like any other generator, and you will have given up most of the reason
for all of that extra electronics, co$t, and complexity.

I also have a couple of freezers that might need to be plugged in a couple of
hours each day, but I could unplug the fridge when I do that. I think I could
get by OK with a generator rated for 110V 1600W continuous power. I could
certainly get by with it a lot better than I could with no generator at all.

You are thinking about load management...good!



The Honda is also a nice size to throw in the back of a truck to take to a job
site to run 110V power tools, like various electric saws or lighting.

True, but be sure to chain the thing down!

I keep putting off buying a generator because the power here in town is so
reliable. But my parents down in East Texas near Houston have been living off
a cheap 5000W generator for a week now and it's scary how fast it burns up the
gasoline they had stored. One gas station just opened up for business again a
couple of days ago (all the other stations are still closed because they don't
have power) and you have to wait for hours in line

Yes. I live in hurricane country, and the above is why my generator runs on
natural gas with propane as a backup. Few folks think about the fuel
consumption of their generators. I have seen people buy generators and not even
bother to buy a gas can! At 1 gallon ($4.00) per hour, nearly $100/day (IF you
can find the gas at all), I am sure that there are many folks in Texas today who
would gladly pay MSRP for something like an EU2000i.

Vaughn