Peak Shaving: The Use Diesel Generators to Cut Energy Costs on High Demand Periods
January 28, 2015Northern Hemisphere hurricane season off to record start, fueled by El Niño
June 11, 2015
In recent years the combination of an aging power grid in the United States and the increase of severe weather have resulted in a growing number of power outages year after year. These outages are becoming longer and more frequent and are affecting larger populations. A good example is the Mid-Atlantic region, which is especially vulnerable to winter storms, hurricanes and currently operates in an overloaded power grid. Theses number will help you get a better picture of the situation:
- In 2011, 3,071 power outages were reported across the US, affecting 41.8 million people.
- The average number of people affected per outage in 2011 was 21,109
- The average duration of each power outage in 2011 was 221 minutes (over 3.5 hours)
- Of the top five (5) most significant outages reported in 2011, three (3) of them directly affected the states of MD, PA, VA and DE. These included:
- Winter storm, January 27 – Washington DC, Maryland, Virginia. Snow, sleet
and ice caused outages for over 400,000 people. - Hurricane Irene, August 26-29 – North Carolina to Maine. Hurricane Irene cut a path up the East Coast knocking out power for over six million people.
- Surprise fall snow storm, October 28-30 – Mid-Atlantic to Maine. A very early snow storm caused power outages, cancelled school and created havoc for 1.75 million people.
- Winter storm, January 27 – Washington DC, Maryland, Virginia. Snow, sleet
The number of large blackouts is growing in number and severity each year. Over the recent years, the number of outages affecting 50,000 or more people has increased from 42 in 2009 to 109 in 2011.
The best way to protect yourself and your family is by investing in a standby home generator. Home generators power up automatically when a blackout occurs and stay on until the power comes back, running your home’s vital appliances, A/C unit, sump pump and lights.
Here at Americas Generators we carry units from 7-20 kW suitable for residential use. These affordable and reliable generators will give you the protection and peace of mind to battle power outages.
