Enhancing Your Home’s Resilience

As residents of California, we’re all too familiar with the frequent power outages caused by natural disasters like wildfires, earthquakes, and floods. In the past year alone, our state has experienced over 5,000 outages, leaving millions without electricity. These disruptions not only interfere with our daily lives, but also pose significant risks to our health, safety, and economic stability. That’s why reliable backup power solutions are more crucial than ever. In this article, we’ll explore the impact of these outages and how a Kohler home standby generator can enhance our energy resilience, ensuring you have power when we need it most!

Understanding the Impact of Power Outages

Power outages can have far-reaching consequences, affecting our families, businesses, and communities alike. When we experience heat waves, the demand for energy spikes and this can lead to rolling blackouts, leaving us without normal comforts such as air conditioning, heat, kitchen appliances, and more. In addition to heat-related outages, natural disasters like wildfires, earthquakes, and floods pose significant threats to our power infrastructure. Wildfires can destroy power lines, earthquakes can rupture gas lines, and floods can inundate substations, leaving our communities without power for days or weeks at a time. In these situations, having reliable backup power is essential for keeping our basic needs met, staying connected, and ensuring our safety.

What Weather Calls for a Home Generator? 

We experience varying weather from intense heat to snowy winters. While Mother Nature can shut down the power grid on her own, we are also susceptible to public safety power shutoffs (PSPS) that occur to minimize further damage caused by the effects of heat or wildfires. Below are some of the main weather events that can cause energy grid losses in our communities:

·         Heatwaves: According to the Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment, we have experienced extreme heat events which have been on the rise since the 1950s due to climate change. Heat waves drive up energy demand due to increased air-conditioning use, which strains the power grid. This can result in rolling blackouts, leaving many without power during extreme heat.

·         Wildfires: Wildfires destroy transmission lines, disrupting electricity flow and potentially cutting power for entire counties. Additionally, cloud cover and smoke from wildfires reduce solar power generation, affecting those who rely on it. In 2023, 7,127 fires burned over 320,000 acres, leaving millions without power, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.

·         Earthquakes: According to Volcano Discovery research, we have experienced five earthquakes above a 5.0 magnitude in 2023. The energy released by these seismic waves can cause electrical power and gas lines to break, due to fallen debris, such as trees or infrastructure, resulting in severe power outages.

·         Floods: These mainly occur in lowland areas, due to excessive rainfall. During the month of March in 2023, at least 200,000 residences had lost power due to heavy rainfall and flooding, drowning substations and destroying transmission lines.

·         PG&E Public Safety Power Shutoffs (PSPS): During heat wave events and when wildfires break out, PG&E will utilize Public Safety Power Shutoffs to reduce the risk of further damage by limiting energy supply to its customers. In 2021, over 80,000 customers were affected by a PSPS event in 24 counties. This left thousands without power for hours, unsure of when PG&E would turn the power back on.

Ensure Energy Security with a Home Standby Generator

Kohler home generators are designed to provide reliable backup power solutions for residential properties, offering peace of mind and security during power outages. Unlike portable generators, which require manual setup and refueling, Kohler generators are permanently installed and automatically turn on in the event of a power outage, restoring electricity within seconds. With a range of models available, from 14 kW to 38 kW, Kohler generators can accommodate varying power needs, from essential appliances to your entire household. Additionally, Kohler units operate on either natural gas (NG) or liquid propane gas (LPG), ensuring a continuous and readily available fuel source, even during emergencies.

Selecting the Right Generator Size

Choosing the appropriate generator size is key to ensuring that your home remains fully powered during outages. Factors such as the size of your home, the number of appliances you wish to power, and your budget should all be considered when selecting a generator. Our team of experts can assist you in determining the ideal generator size to meet your specific needs, ensuring optimal performance and energy efficiency. We strive to build community energy resiliency one family at a time, and your family could be next.

Integrating Generators with Solar and Backup Batteries

For comprehensive energy resilience, consider integrating your Kohler generator with solar panels and backup batteries. Solar panels harness the power of the sun to generate electricity, providing a renewable and sustainable energy source for your home.You can also add back batteries which store excess solar energy for later use, ensuring uninterrupted power supply during periods of low sunlight or extended outages. By combining a generator with a solar and battery storage system, you can supercharge your solar powered system providing you with energy independence, reduce reliance on the grid, and minimize utility costs over time.

Benefits of a Kohler Home Standby Generator

There are many benefits to owning a home standby generator, let take a look at a few: 

• Kohler is renowned for their reliability and durability, ensuring dependable backup power when you need it most. With automatic activation and self-testing capabilities, Kohler units provide peace of mind and security during emergencies.

• Unlike portable generators, which require manual setup and refueling, Kohler generators are permanently installed and seamlessly integrated into your home's electrical system. With automatic operation and remote monitoring capabilities, Kohler units offer unparalleled convenience and ease of use.

• Kohler generators are designed to deliver efficient and cost-effective performance, minimizing fuel consumption and reducing environmental impact. By pairing Kohler generators with a solar power system, you can further enhance energy efficiency and maximize savings on utility bills.

• Kohler generators are built to last, boasting rugged construction and quality materials, while also offering quiet operation in some models. Additionally, these generators often feature innovative elements like remote monitoring and control, enhancing experience.

During times of uncertainty and unpredictability, having the peace of mind and security that keeps your home powered and protected is extremely important. Whether you're dealing with extreme weather, grid failures, or other emergencies, you can relax knowing your energy needs are taken care of.

Take Command of Your Power Today

Power outages pose significant challenges,whether facing heat waves, wildfires, earthquakes, or other emergencies. The good news is a reliable backup power solution offers you and your family the peace of mind, security, and protection when you need it most. Together, let us build a brighter, more resilient future for California—one powered by innovation, sustainability, and community resilience.

Sources :

https://poweroutage.us/area/state/california

https://calheatscore.calepa.ca.gov/

https://www.fire.ca.gov/incidents/2023/

https://www.volcanodiscovery.com/earthquakes/today.html

https://www.washingtonpost.com/weather/2023/03/21/california-storm-flooding-avalanches-wind/

https://capuc.maps.arcgis.com/apps/dashboards/ecd21b1c204f47da8b1fcc4c5c3b7d3a