[944Larry]

As you realize this is what's wrong with the US today. These idiots regulate things that are not worth regulating. The key word here is 'stand-by". This, I assume, means it only runs during a power outage. Sorry for the rant. To answer your question, you wouldn't be able to cut the horsepower on a generator. As you said, a generator runs at a very precise RPM rating. Any change in horsepower would mean a drop in RPM's with a drop in voltage output and cycles.