For what you want to do it won't be cheap. You can't just plug your furnace into a generator. Anything that produces heat like your water heater or electric stove draws a lot of current. If you want to have all of the creature comforts I suggest calling an electrician and have him give you an estimate for putting a contraption on your fuse panel that lets you power the entire house. The next thing he can do is tell you how big the generator needs to be for what you want to do. Be prepared for it to cost some big bucks. If you just want to power a few lights and a PC you can get a 2000 Watt generator for about $1000. Hope that helps.
After this most recent winter storm, and promising myself I would get a portable generator for several years, it is time to get serious!!!
I want an emergency generator to power the necessities for my home, such as furnace, refrigerator, a few lights, one TV, and, of course, my computer. Furnace is gas, so I suppose it shouldn't need as much power as electric. Hot water, however, IS electric, but I could probably survive without that.
