When you think of Texas and power outages, it’s possible the first thing that comes to your mind is the massive 2021 outage caused by an extreme cold snap. Millions were without power for days — all thanks to the weather and an unprepared power grid. But across the country, this wasn’t the first (and likely won’t be the last) time extreme weather had an impact on our electricity. As climate change gets worse, we can expect more storms like these. Here’s what you need to know.
What Causes Extreme Weather Events & How They Affect Power Outages
Tornados, heatwaves, wildfires, mass flooding, frozen cities — all of these extreme weather events are hitting us hard thanks to climate change. The more harmful greenhouse gasses are released into the atmosphere, the more it impacts the weather on this planet. As the planet itself warms, more water evaporates into the atmosphere. That water then returns to the ground in mass amounts of snow or rain. It also causes droughts, because the more water that evaporates, the drier the soil and vegetation becomes. A single strike of lightning or match, and boom: wildfire.
All that climate change spells disaster for us and our power grids. Extreme weather events are the most common cause of power outages across the country. How? Well, when it snows or there’s an ice storm, that precipitation can build up on power lines and knock them down — or it can build up on surrounding trees, which can then fall onto the power lines and knock them out. Heavy winds from tornados and other storms can also knock over power lines, and cause damage to the power grid infrastructure itself. Intense heat and cold can lead to malfunctions in the power grid, especially if it’s not properly insulated or able to handle the need for higher than normal energy usage.
How You Can Prepare for a Power Outage
Power outages don’t have to be worrisome if you’re prepared in advance for the possibility. Before one happens, you should go through your home and see what you use regularly that uses electricity. Think of things like appliances, phone chargers, lights. Once you’ve got that list, make a plan for how to get back-up energy for those items. So you may want to keep a portable phone charger ready at all times, or you may have a generator ready to go in times of need. Do all your flashlights have batteries in them? Now’s the time to check. It’s also important to make sure the vital alarms — fire and carbon monoxide — can run on battery power and are in full working order, so test them out now. That way you’ll know if something major is wrong, even if your power is out.
Tips to Keep Your Home Safe from Damage During an Outage
Aside from preparing for a power outage inside your home, you’ll also want to take some steps to ensure your home itself stays safe during an outage. Use these tips as a guide.
- Close and lock the doors and windows —in case your security system stops working (most will switch to backup battery power).
- Hook big appliances and electronics up to surge protectors, that way if a surge of energy knocks out the power, it won’t fry things you need in your home.
- Invest in a generator for your home - we will visit how to choose the best one in the following section
- If it’s cold out, keep the taps dripping and cabinets open to expose your pipes to warm air so they don’t freeze.
- If you have an electric-powered sump pump, keep a back-up generator handy so you can avoid flooding from heavy rains if the pump stops working.
The Different Types of Generators and How to Choose the Right One for Your Home
Generators are essential to ensure you have backup power when the electricity goes out. However, the amount available on the market can be confusing. Generally, you’ll find:
- Portable generators that are small and can be run on gas, propane, or solar power
- Inverter generators that can be portable or for the whole house, and create clean energy
- Whole-home generators that run on gasoline or diesel
Knowing which one is right for you can be confusing. So think about what you need it for. Do you require power to your entire home, or just a few choice things within it? That will tell you whether you need a whole-house or portable generator. Do you have space to keep a generator outside, or will it need to be stored inside? You don’t want anything that runs on any type of fuel to be kept in the house — so if it has to stay inside, opt for a solar-powered one. Lastly, how much money do you have to spend? Generators can get pretty pricey, so let your budget guide you to the generator that best suits your needs.
Modern Technology & Ways to Automatically Keep Your Home Powered During a Storm
If you’ve got some money you can spend and are expecting to endure multiple power outages in the future, you may want to install a standby or backup generator that can tell when the power goes out and automatically switches on. Typically, they’re bigger units that are installed outside your home — which is good because they hook up to your home’s natural gas system, or liquid propane system if you have one. These generators work thanks to automatic transfer switches, which have built-in sensors that can tell when power to your home shuts off. It recognizes the outage, flips on, and begins to power your home. It also works whether you’re in the house or not, so no need to worry if you’re out of town.
What to Do After an Outage Has Passed & Preventive Measures to Take in the Future
Congratulations! The power outage is over. Now you need to take some important steps to ensure the safety of you, your family, and your home.
- Go through your food. If anything spent more than two hours at a warmer temperature than it should have been, toss it. You don’t want anyone to get sick!
- If you had medication that needed to be refrigerated, call your doctor to see if it’s alright after the power outage, or if you can get a refill right away.
- Check your home for any damage and call your home/renter’s insurance to see your coverage options and next steps for repairs.
Next time there is extreme weather in the area, be sure to follow these guidelines and look into generators if you are in an area with recurring extreme weather conditions. Also, create an emergency preparedness kit with everything you’ll need (like batteries, flashlights, and first aid supplies), and a plan that you can share with your loved ones. If everyone is on the same page, major weather events and power outages will go much smoother.
In the end, extreme weather events and their consequences are becoming harder to ignore. We cannot sit idly by and accept power outages as an everyday occurrence, take action by reducing how much energy and electricity you use. OnPoint Energy is also making it easier for people to switch over to renewable sources instead. So, you can do your part by signing up with one of OnPoint Energy’s renewable energy plans. Taking that small step could make a world of difference in terms of protecting the planet from extreme weather events.