Super-Cold Winter Predicted for Eastern U.S. Means More Electrical Outages

The Old Farmers Almanac, the New Hampshire based chronicler of climate, planting information, celestial calendars, folksy advice, and funnies, has predicted a colder than average winter for the Eastern two thirds of the nation in 2014. Using over a hundred year old formula that includes the position of sunspots and other meteorological data, the editors at the almanac have had a notorious success rate of nearly 80% over its lifetime. The organization also predicts that while Florida will have a wetter than average winter, the Southeast will see less rain. While the prediction of a colder winter may cause panic in some peoples minds, the change in average temperature will only be about 2 to 5 degrees.

The projected frigid winter will undoubtedly mean more strain on the nations electrical grid. Even a slight decrease in temperature can mean the difference between rain and freezing rain on power lines and where they terminate into residences. More power outages are expected as a result. One of the most often damaged components electricity delivery to a home is at the weatherhead, which is the point where a power line attaches to a home. The service line then leads from the weatherhead down a conduit to the meter base. When power lines go down, they can often pull down the weatherhead to the home. Contrary to popular belief, repairing a damaged weatherhead, conduit, or meter base is the responsibility of the homeowner, not the power company. An experienced electrical contractor should be contacted in the event that any of these components are damaged.

With more severe winter weather expected to put greater stress on the electrical power grid this winter, many homeowners are considering a backup home generator to keep critical electrical systems, such as heating or kitchen appliances, running in the event of an outage. Often running on natural gas instead of backup batteries, these systems provide a constant supply of electricity to the home over longer periods of time. Gas powered generators that can be purchased at any home improvement store do not generally provide as much electrical power as larger, permanent systems, and also require constant refilling of fuel to maintain constant power supply. More permanent, natural gas powered systems provide uninterrupted power supply for weeks, but typically require the training and knowledge of an experienced electrician to safely install at a home.

Beco, Incorporated is a preferred Generac™ generator dealer, providing recommendations on various sizes of permanent generators for residences or businesses, with expert installation and maintenance.