You see the phone companies using Kohler generators on their small sub-stations so they must be reliable.
My brother has a Kohler propane fired generator and loves it. It runs everything in his 1600 sq ft home including the water heater and dryer but not the electric ceramic furnace which needs mega current but it is off peak use and is cheaper than oil or gas to run normally. A small wood stove heats the whole place as needed when the power is out. (Super hi-tech construction and insulation helps) He is way up in Maine just off the coast. His house will be featured in a couple of arcitectual mags this year.
http://www.knightarchitect.com/curre...berry%20field/