Jeffrey Ross

Thanks for your comments and solutions. My goal is not to save money on the system cost, it is to be able to continue living normally for long periods of power outages. We are at 3,800' elevation and occasional storms may drop 3'± of snow and disrupt grid power for weeks (from tress falling on power lines). A lot of neighbors complain that their generators eat through their propane reserves and the propane company can't keep up with the demand. So if I only run the propane-powered generator to recharge batteries and then shut it down I believe I would be able to run much longer (assuming that I avoid consumptive behaviors). Main uses for power during an outage would be for the well pump, the propane heater fan, and a few LED lights. The drawing shows "DC" which is the disconnect to the power company so my system won't back-feed to the grid.    

I was considering installation of a whole house propane-powered generator, however, I have heard that these cost a lot to run during extended power outages. I am wondering if I should install a big battery bank that is grid-charged and will assume control when the grid power goes down and then (assuming the batteries would only power the house for 2 days) install a propane generator that only runs to recharge the batteries and then shuts down. It seems that this would be much more fuel efficient and would be able to support longer outages on our propane supply. Hoping someone that knows more then me can comment. I attached a picture showing what I am thinking. Thanks in advance for any feedback you can provide.