SWMBO and I are considering a home generator.
Option A is a semi-portable unit like the Honda EB10000. Based on rough calcs, the EB10000 it would power the whole house, including a single A/C unit. Pros are it is a true inverter unit, it isn't quite so spendy as a dedicated whole-home unit, and we could haul the generator somewhere else if needed (bulky, but doable). Cons are a measly 3-5 hour run time (read: regular fueling), on-demand setup and manual switchover, and the need to store it and fuel somewhere during the "most of the time" it wouldn't be in use.
Option B is a dedicated unit that will power the whole house, runs on natural gas, and has automatic switchover. Cons are a higher initial cost and no portability. Strong eyeball on Generac as they are a known quantity and I don't see them going away any time soon (i.e reliability, support, service, maintenance parts, etc).
My question revolves around power waveforms. I've found several waveform images for the Honda (FYI, it's gorgeous) but can't find any for the Generac. I know Generac has been around forever, but therein lies the problem. Long histories come with a tendency towards "the way we've always done it". Sure, their units have a track record for reliable power output, but what about the quality of that power? Just because you can churn out steady-state 120v 60Hz power doesn't automatically mean the waveform isn't equipment-killing crap. They don't mention anything about inverter tech, nor do they publish any type of measured or graphed examples. I don't see anything in their documentation that talks about output quality other than a few frilly marketing blurbs. I want to see something objective, preferably an o-scope image of the waveform.
No matter which way we go, mission-critical items like our computers will be on a UPS for both backup power and power conditioning reasons. It's the other stuff that concerns me... HVAC controls, microcontrollers in appliances, expensive home theater equipment, etc.. Those quickly add up to serious coin and I'd like to mitigate the risk as much as possible.
Brad