If you live in the Philadelphia area, you’re undoubtedly familiar with PECO – and there’s a good chance you’ve been through an unpredictable power outage or two as the provider scrambled to restore downed power lines.
During the summer of 2015, unpredictable power outages following storms led to widespread frustration among Philadelphia-area residents, as reported in the Daily Local News. In this article, Senator Andy Dinniman reports: “I have heard from dozens of constituents who expressed concerns about recurring outages and PECO’s failure to provide them with accurate restoration time estimates.”
The article goes on to expose that residents were sometimes told power restoration would take hours, only for restoration to take days, instead. This is because the estimates are made before crews start repairs – and before they run into the inevitable setbacks. Restoration times for specific outages “may change frequently,” according to the article.
While PECO has gone on to make some positive changes to their reportage of power restoration times since this summer, and fared reasonably well during our recent blizzard, Philadelphia-area residents still become understandably worried leading into severe weather. When snow is in the forecast, there’s always apprehension that we’ll be dealing with a days-long outage that will topple our productivity, comfort, and safety.
What To Do If You’re Concerned About Power Outages
Thankfully, modern technologies allow PA residents to approach storms with confidence. With a backup generator, you can ensure your power stays on, even when the grid is down.
Wes Carver Electric installs two types of backup generators in Montgomery County and Bucks County: automatic or manual.
With an automatic generator, you can take a completely “hands off” approach. Powered by natural gas or propane, the generator turns on as needed, then turns off when the power returns. Furthermore, these generators “self-exercise” weekly, which means they stay in peak condition and are ready to go at any time.
On the other hand, homeowners have the option of manual backup generators, which cost less, but require the homeowner to turn them on and off and maintain them. While these can be somewhat louder and less convenient than automatic backup generators, manual generators do offer homeowners more control.
To see some photos of backup generators installed by Wes Carver Electric, be sure to stop by our backup generator photo gallery!
If you’d like to talk more about installing a backup generator in your home, be sure to give us a call: (215)-855-3340!