As climate change continues, experts believe that weather related power outages will increase across the US. On August 29, 2021, Ida made landfall in Louisiana as a category 4 hurricane. The powerful storm devastated the state’s electrical grid. Hurricane Ida toppled powerlines, electrical poles, and transmission towers. It damaged twice as many high voltage electrical lines and poles as hurricane Katrina in 2005. As a result, hundreds of thousands of customers in Louisiana were without power for days during one of the hottest months of the year. As of September 22nd, Entergy had restored power to 98% of the 902,000 customers who suffered outages almost a month ago. Roughly 18,000 homes and businesses still don’t have power.
It’s Not Just Hurricanes; Ice and Heat Cause Interruptions in Service too.
Major weather related power outages aren’t only caused by hurricanes. Electrical companies in California are required to cut off power to tens of thousands of homes annually. This is necessary to prevent equipment from overheating and causing wildfires. Additionally, an ice storm crippled much of Texas, leaving thousands without heat earlier this year.
South Carolina Could Experience Disruptions
South Carolina isn’t a stranger to tropical disturbances, freak ice storms, or extreme heat waves. Unfortunately, our power grid is outdated and increasingly overburdened. The state’s electrical plants are slowly fading away. South Carolina’s newest nuclear power plant was scrapped before it was completed. This leaves our state vulnerable to extended weather related power outages. As extreme weather becomes more common, the effects on our state’s aging power grid will become more pronounced. This means that power disruptions will occur more frequently and last longer. The brief interruptions we tend to overlook could turn into days, or even weeks. Generators will become less of a convenience and more of a necessity.
Are You Prepared if the Electrical Grid Fails?
Keep your home and office functioning during a weather related power outages with a whole home standby generator. Whole home generators, like those from Cummins and Generac, will allow you to remain comfortable, and virtually uninterrupted. The automatic transfer switch will detect a loss of power on the utility side and instantly start your standby generator. Most home generators rely on natural gas to power them. That means these energy efficient units will keep the lights (and the A/C) on until utilities can be restored.
Generators are like life insurance. If you don’t have it when you need it, it’s too late! Call Cooper Electrical Services, the only unlimited licensed electrical contractor in the Myrtle Beach area. We provide full service of generators to Horry, Georgetown, and Brunswick counties, which includes sales, installation, and regular maintenance.