Hi Ya MrAl,
OK, we also have natural gas and the furnace is natural gas forced air. One thing we have never lost is natural gas, The below generator is what I added several years ago. The picture was taken before the yard was fully fenced.
**broken link removed**
The unit was a good deal as I bought it off the floor at my local Lowes right when the newer models were coming out. Note the squared corners, the new units have rounded corners.
This is what the new units look like in a NG (Natural Gas) 18 KW unit. So since the unit was sitting there new on the floor they sold it to me back then for about $3,000 which is what I would have paid for a 12 KW unit I was thinking about ordering.
Prior to all of this I had a 4 KW portable unit which is now sitting in the shed. That unit was gasoline powered. That unit easily powered the house as to essentials including the furnace, freezer and refrigerator without a problem.
They do make units like this little 8KW unit that runs on natural gas.
The beauty of these little creatures is no worry about keeping a fresh emergency supply of gasoline around. They will also run on LPG (Propane) with the simple flip of a valve on the carburetor. Power goes out and within 10 seconds the things starts, comes up to speed, and automatically does a full transfer. They also start and run once a week automatically doing an exercise routine. They are also very quiet running.
While not quite cheap they bring peace of mind. I purchased ours when Kathy's mom was bed ridden and we were providing home health care. The more life support machines I saw come into this house the more I worried about a power failure. Hell, we lose power now and I invite the neighbors over for drinks and a movie.
Ron