My switch is an EmerGen, 6 pole, which means it will power 6 circuits. I know that sounds weak, but if you choose your circuits carefully, you can run the most critical ones. We get along just fine when we lose power as we can run both our fridges, all of our freezers, the TV, wood stove fan and lights where we need them most. It's just my wife and I so the 2400 does just fine for us. Now understand, with a bigger house (ours is 2400 SF) kids, you might want to go bigger on the generator and an 8 or even 12 pole switch. Also, we specifically do not run high power items like the microwave and obviously we do not try to power the hot tub. It's all about balancing your power usage. If I recall, I have about $1500 into the switch and generator. Like said earlier, an auto system may run you $10K or better if installed by an electrician.