Micro-Budget Power: Tie-Ins vs. Generators, What's the Smart Move?

Hey everyone,

I'm Darius, a Best Boy Electric, normally working on bigger sets. My film school shorts always had access to huge generators, but now I'm prepping for my own micro-budget narrative project, shooting on a GH6 and lighting with a couple of amaran 150c and an LS 300x. Every single dollar counts.

I'm trying to figure out the best approach to location power. We're looking at a mix of interiors and exteriors. My instinct is towards tie-ins for any location with accessible power, but I'm worried about reliability and what's actually feasible with limited resources. For places where that's not an option, I'm looking at smaller generator rentals, but the cost/benefit analysis is a bit fuzzy given our tight budget.

When you're really scraping for pennies, what are your go-to strategies for power planning? How do you balance reliable power with keeping costs down, especially regarding tie-ins versus renting smaller generators?