Mom & Dad put in a propane fuel auto start backup whole house genset. Dad complained that they didn't use it for the first 2 years. Now that they've used it a number of times he isn't complaining anymore. When they bought the place they were told that the power "never" goes out.
Power has been out for over 12 hrs once, and they can see a sub-station not 1/2 mile away. He's not complaining any more.
I can deal with the power going out in the summer, but not when it's 0°F out! I have a gasoline generator that will run 12 hrs on one tank. It's enough to keep the essentials running - furnace or A/C, refigerator and freezers plus a little bit extra juice left over.
