Texas experiences several serious windstorms every year. As storms move inland they become weaker. I live about 50 miles inland so I do not feel the need to flee further inland when a hurricane is forecasted. However there is a good chance that my area will have a power outage from a major storm. A generator can make your home much more livable if the power goes out.
If money is no object you can spend ,000 to ,000 for a permanent standby power system. If you budget is more limited (like mine) you can get a portable unit for much less.
In hot areas like Houston the key appliances to run off a generator are your refrigerator and a room air conditioner. A 12,000 BTU AC unit might take around 1,200 watts to run and 3,000 watts to start. You could probably run that, and your refrigerator, on a generator with 3,000 running watts. (The generators starting watts will usually be rated higher than the running watts.) This size generator could cost 0 to 0 and may be all you need for a very small house, or better than nothing for a mid size or larger home.
My generator is a 10 horsepower model rated for 8500 starting watts and 5500 running watts. It cost about 0. I think this is a good size unit for a small or medium sized house. My unit can run 2-3 room 12,000 BTU AC units, a refrigerator, and other small appliances. After IKE we ran the generator continuously for 2 weeks and our home was cool and comfortable.
Here are some ideas if you are considering a portable generator:
Think about what appliances you want to run. Then research the wattage needed to run them and select your generator accordingly. Generators are dangerous! Read the instruction manual and think safety! Get a heavy duty power cord set designed for generator use. Buy you room size AC units in advance. Stores will probably be closed or sold out after a hurricane. Do not try to start all your appliances at the same time. Check the manual for instructions. Buy enough fuel cans to hold 30+ gallons of gas. Fill them at the start of each windstorm season is you have a safe storage space. Add fuel stabilizer to the fuel; and then carefully dump the fuel into you cars tank at the end of the season. Generator oil needs very frequent changes so get a couple extra bottles of oil. Secure your generator with a heavy duty chain or cable to make it theft resistant. Don't forget other storm supply's like bottled water, canned food, etc. Be sure you have good flood and windstorm insurance coverage.
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