i have a nordyne e2eb-023hb all elec furnace. i am thinking of getting a whole house generator and i need to know the starting and running watts to size the genset. the label says it has 2 circuits 1-45.5 amps and 1-48.3 amps. i have 2 circuit breakers for the furnace each 60 amps. both look to be 2 breakers connected together so that you turn them on and off together. i think this means that each breaker is 240 volts and i should multiply amps x volts to get watts. 10920 watts and 11592 watts. is this correct? one genset sales place tells me i need 12kw just for the furnace and another says i need 24kw.

The circuit breaker sizes for the fan coil/heater package aren't an accurate gauge when sizing the load. Look for a voltage/kilowatt rating on the heater package label. Factor in an extra 1-2 kw for the blower and other components.