How much power does an Inverter "waste"?

[rellosk]

I think my needs are more than 3.6k, closing to 6k at any given point. That's the reason for two units. The generator as a backup does not sound bad to me. Initial cost is not an issue. My concern is on going cost with the kind of (future) fueling cost in DR, at the rate they consume. I am also researching solar for charging inverter batteries during the day. Since I have some time to plan for all of this, I want to end up with the best solution I can.

If you're not concerned about initial costs, why not go 100% solar. I had asked in another thread if it was possible:

http://dr1.com/forums/showthread.php?p=320494#post320494​

 

[americanized]

Combination

Unless you are a millionaire you need to seriously consider adjusting your lifestyle to get your needs down around 2K maximum if you are planning on living in the DR.

Katrina kept me busy these days. You may be right, b/c I am not a millionaire. Probably the best solution for me would be a combination of highly energy efficient appliances (many of them being Liquid Propane, like refrig and W/H. I need to buy all appliances anyway), large inverter, a mid size diesel genset, and probably some solar to use the genset the least to charge batteries. and forget A/C for the most part. I'm already working on a spreadsheet to combine all of these cost/benefit/feasibility factors, and hopefully voila!.
Thank you guys.

 

[Rocky]

Katrina kept me busy these days. You may be right, b/c I am not a millionaire. Probably the best solution for me would be a combination of highly energy efficient appliances (many of them being Liquid Propane, like refrig and W/H. I need to buy all appliances anyway), large inverter, a mid size diesel genset, and probably some solar to use the genset the least to charge batteries. and forget A/C for the most part. I'm already working on a spreadsheet to combine all of these cost/benefit/feasibility factors, and hopefully voila!.
Thank you guys.

Sounds like you're on the right track now.
Maybe you should consider a rooftop tenaco (water reservoir), so that you only use your water pump when the generator is running and rely on gravity fed water while on inverter.
You can also heat water on the rooftop.
The gas fridge is a good idea.
Maybe with a few solar panels, you can limit the generator usage to 1 or 2 hours/day.