[futuresoptions]

look, the problem with generators is this and I know because I took care of gas, diesel and propane powered generators for critical telephone central offices for years. Most of us are not going to use the generators monthly so that rules out gas. The ethanol or just plain regular gas will go bad prior to use and you will be constantly having to have the carb worked on unless you do the work yourself. Diesel is the same thing, but you have a little bit longer life span with diesel and you can extend the life with additives. Imho, the best bang for your buck would be a propane fired genset. I would attach a manual transfer switch to your residence and leave it there ready to go. Fire it up once a month to keep the seals lubricated and you should be good to go for a long period of time. other than that, you could install a solar/battery backup that would give you a limited amount of down time from commercial power..