The number of watts you should get for a generator will depend entirely upon what you want to run with the generator. For most people, that will be a refrigerator (300-800 watts), a fan (75-80 watts) or space heater (1500 watts), depending on the time of year, a light or two (250-350 watts each), and probably a phone charger (2-6 watts). Go through your home and decide what you want to run with the portable generator, then find a model that will provide that level of energy.