Help...I am a Babe in the Woods of emergency generators!

[X_Digger]

3. The most complex / expensive single part will be the 'separate electrical panel'..

If you don't want to mess with gasoline and extension cords, the best option is a propane unit. They automatically switch on in the event of power failure, and can also power your HVAC if sized appropriately. Heck, you can run your whole house on one.

Your electrician neighbor will have to set up a special circuit, and depending on whether or not the lines ran to your fridge, lights, and computer are separate or part of a larger run, you might end up running new cable. Labor for that can be expensive, depending on whether or not you have a crawl space, a basement, a slab, etc etc.

The downside to the auto-start propane generators is cost. You could be facing $8-10k (in my area) with labor for the generator, tank, running new circuits, the special generator panel, and fixing drywall holes if you have to tear into the walls to run new circuits.

One step down from that would be a generator with an electric starter- no tugging on cords. They can be wired into the same kind of panel as the propane generator, but they cost a couple thousand less than the big propane units.

Another step down would be the pull-start generator and extension cords. Having cords ran through the house is a pain in the backside, not to mention having to pull out the fridge to get to the plug, refilling the tank during an outage, and the noise.

I've got a 5.5kw gas generator on hand for my marine reef aquarium that I also use for our fridge and computers.

Oh, one other thing- if you do end up with a portable generator, be sure to rig up a way to make it theft-proof.