For decades, most Americans considered scheduled blackouts a thing of the past.
But in recent years, they’ve become more common.
They’re especially likely in large cities where old power grids struggle to keep growing populations and power-hungry businesses.
Let’s dive into scheduled power outages and how solar panels can help you avoid them.
What Are Scheduled Power Outages?
These planned outages occur when the utility company needs to work on the electrical grid.
Common work-related reasons include upgrading infrastructure, expanding the system, or repairing damage after a storm.
Some cities have also scheduled load shedding to take the pressure off the grid.
What Are the Risks of Scheduled Power Outages?
Businesses often have backup generators or other alternative power sources to keep the lights on.
However, most homeowners and renters don’t have a backup power source if the lights go out.
There are many risks you face when the power company schedules blackouts:
- Food in your fridge and freezer could spoil if you didn’t receive advance notice
- You may not be able to use medical devices that require electricity
- Your security system could go offline, which is especially disastrous when you’re away on vacation
- You may not be able to work from home, costing you lost income
How Can Solar Power Help You Avoid Scheduled Outages?
While scheduled power outages are sometimes unavoidable, one sure way to avoid them is solar power!
To be clear, installing solar with battery backup won’t stop your company from scheduling blackouts.
But it can protect you, your household, and your home:
- Solar power is a great way to reduce your reliance on the grid. With solar panels and a battery backup system, you can generate your electricity and use it to power your home, even when the grid is down. Doing so could even reduce the need for scheduled outages aimed at load shedding.
- Solar panels can help you save money on your electric bill. In some cases, you may even be able to sell excess electricity back to the grid, called net metering. This excess energy can also reduce the need for planned outages.
- When scheduled outages occur, your house will still have power if you have solar panels. You won’t have to worry about the many risks associated with scheduled blackouts.
What Are Important Considerations for Solar and Scheduled Power Outages?
When installing solar with battery backup, include an automatic cut-off switch.
This smart sensor will disconnect your home from the grid and run on solar when the grid power goes out.
If you need to make the switch manually or can only do it from home, this could create problems.
What happens if you’re on vacation or at work?
Secondly, the utility company has cut-off switches to disable solar panels while working on the grid.
This eliminates the risk of pumping electricity into the lines while workers handle them.
How Unbound Solar Can Help
At Unbound Solar, we help homeowners design solar and battery backup systems to combat scheduled power outages.
Our team also provides lifetime support for installations, upgrades, and follow-up questions.
Contact us today for a quote!
