What size (watt) portable generator is good for a 40 foot finished basement split home in NH?
You did say portable generator, so I assume that you will run extension cords to all the loads that you want to power. You’re not going to connect it to your breaker panel through a transfer switch, so you don’t have to power everything in the house. In that case, it is a tradeoff of size, cost and how many items you want to power. At the minimum, you have the heating, hot water, refrigerator and perhaps a half dozen light bulbs. Your gas oven may also need power for the electronic igniter to work. You haven’t said what kind of heating you have. It could be all-electric, a gas-fired furnace, or something else. Also, it seems from your question that you have an electric water heater, which requires a lot of power. I’ll make a few assumptions: Gas-fired furnace: 1200 watts Electric water heater: 5500 watts (at 240 volts) Refrigerator: 1800 watts Light bulbs: 600 watts Gas oven: 100 watts These total 9200 watts, of which over half is your electric water heater. If you have a gas water hea
