Generators - Pre-planning and preparation

If I had to do it over, I would have taken all possible actions to reduce my electricity footprint first.

We recently went through an electricity audit by me using a recording amp meter.

By changes in our behavior, timers, some appliance replacement/repair and implementing CFL's 100% we slashed our energy use to about 1/3 of our original footprint comparing to same month last year consumption. For us this is several hundred dollars of saving per month.

What this means, beyond the extra cash, is that we can run our entire household comfortably on our Honda 3000w inverter, during power outages

Now with daily consumption rates within 1 - 2w per hour, as opposed to 6 - 10+w per hour, we also now have realistic financial options for looking into renewable power generation to go off-grid if necessary.

Here is the recording amp meter I used. No affiliation. Just a product that works and help me save $. www.wattvision.com

The electric co audit is a great idea.

The nice thing about the wattvision is you always have access to actionable information. We are in 3,500 sq ft. It's really easy, at least for me, to leave a lot of stuff on out of bad habits and not notice. I repair electronics and my shop spins the meter if I'm not careful. The wattvision is on my iphone so I can check our consumption at any time. Most important, I do the daily shut down for any strays that were left on before I go to sleep or leave the house.

The device is a little expensive if you aren't a big energy hog like me, meaning the payback is longer. For us, the device was paid for in under 2 months in measurably lower electric bills.

Again, no affiliation with device mfgr, etc.