According to the Energy Information Administration (EIA), the severe 2015/2016 winter season caused power outages that affected more than one million customers across the US. Although the 2016/2017 winter season may not be as harsh, it is likely to leave thousands of consumers without power. Six of the conveniences you will miss during a power outage include:
Heating
Without power, your home’s heater will not work. This means that you will have to deal with extreme cold until power is restored. As such, most people purchase and keep portable space heaters at hand. However, the US Consumer Product Safety Commission warns consumers to be careful when using portable space heaters. They cause about 25,000 residential fires annually. You should only purchase space heaters that come with safety features. Be sure to keep space heaters away from children and flammable materials.
Running Water
Your house is unlikely to have adequate running water during a power outage. This is because your home’s piping system can freeze, thereby inhibiting water flow. Nevertheless, it is advisable to keep your faucets open to relieve excessive pressure that occurs due to ice blockage and could even cause pipes to burst. For this reason, most people stock water in portable containers.
Wireless Internet
Do not expect your home’s wireless system to work during a power outage. In fact, some cellular services fail during winter storms meaning you may be unable to make phone calls. In turn, you may be unable to get weather updates or reach loved ones and friends via phone or social networking sites such as Facebook, Twitter and Snapchat. At the same time, loss of power means you would be unable to recharge your phone’s battery.
Kitchen Appliances
Most kitchen appliances including the fridge, microwave, coffee maker, electric stove, and oven rely on electric power meaning they will not work during power outage. In this case, you will be unable to cook and the food in your fridge will thaw within 24 hours leading to a lot of wastage.
Entertainment And News
The electronic devices that you rely on for entertainment and news including the TV, radio, smartphone, tablet, and computer will be practically useless during a winter power outage. This can be distressing considering a Nielsen survey found that the average American spends two hours and 46 minutes listening to radio, an hour online on a PC, an hour and seven minutes on a smartphone, and 32 minutes watching TV every day.
Laundry
Since your home washing machine and dryer are powered by electricity, they will not work during a power outage. If power is not restored within a day or two, expect dirty clothes to start piling up fast.
Conclusion
Winter is around the corner and it is bound to cause power outages across the US. This means thousands of people are likely to miss conveniences that they take for granted including using kitchen appliances, cooking, wireless internet, cellular services, heating, running water, laundry washing, watching TV, and listening to music. Fortunately, the EIA says that most utility companies restore power within one week at most. However, you can make that time that you go without power as comfortable as possible by having a generator installed.
The post Six Unexpected Conveniences That You Will Miss During A Winter Power Outage appeared first on R.F. Ohl.
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