As Electrical Outages Increase, How to Be Prepared

You may still see remnants of snow in the corners, shady areas, and parking lots of your neighborhood, as the effects of one of the biggest snowstorms in our states recent history lingers on. State emergency officials estimated that there were over 133,000 utility customers without power across North Carolina due to the storm. Whether or not you believe climate change is contributing to more extreme weather episodes, there is no doubt that major electrical outages are becoming more common across the United States - Major weather-related power outages have increased from 5 to 20 each year in the mid 1990s to 50 to 90 each year during the last five years. While changes in the electric transmission grid and maintenance practices might explain some of this increase, there is evidence to suggest that more frequent weather and climate extremes are also likely contributing.

Electrical outages not only make homes uncomfortable in extreme temperatures, they also cause a great deal of monetary damage. Businesses that must shut down lose revenue, while costly damage can occur from frozen pipes and food spoilage. Water damage from busted pipes can cause tens of thousands of dollars of damage if undiscovered in second and vacation homes. Here are a few tips that can prevent costly damage to your home or business during power outages:

• Keep a flashlight handy.
• Unplug sensitive electronics that can suffer damage when power is restored.
• Use surge protectors to help protect your appliances and electronics. Keep in mind that not all power strips are surge suppressors, and different surge suppressors provide different protection.
• Close off unoccupied rooms.
• Keep your refrigerator or freezer closed as much as possible.
• Turn off electric ovens, ranges or space heaters that may have been in use when the outage occurred.
• Consider an automatic standby generator to maintain electricity to your home or business during power outages, keeping both contents and inhabitants safe.

The experienced consultants at Beco Electrical can help you decide whether you need a whole home generator or partial home generator, and offers a variety of standby generator systems to fit your individual needs. From Generac exterior natural gas powered generators to interior battery powered generators, the newest technology will send real time operational updates to your mobile device, so that you know your generator is there when you need it.