When power goes out during summer months...you can't be without a generator or at the very least a DC/AC inverter that you can connect to your auto/truck battery. I own both a 5250/7350 watt generator and an 800 DC/AC inverter and if I had the money I would have a residential solar/battery backup system but we simply don't lose power often enough to justify the expenditure. Honda makes excellent small generators that are real gas sippers and if I had to do it all over again that would be the way I go...these units are light enough to make them extremely portable and are extremely quiet.