Is it Time for a Back-Up Generator?
How to get ready for the next power outage.
The Derecho swept across Ontario and Quebec like steam locomotive, randomly spreading destruction in some place and sparing other. Like many of you I am thinking, finally, of getting a back-up generator. However, rather than running out and getting one I am reflecting upon what a rational and practical response to the recent Derecho should be. The emotion I felt was trauma: it felt like the ice storm all over again. It reminded me of the tornados in Dunrobin and west Ottawa that wrecked havoc with friends of mine. I had been hoping that disasters like that would not happen again in Ottawa, but I was wrong. When lost power for 4 days, due to the Derecho, life stopped. For my nephew in east Ottawa, who still has no power, his life is still stopped and will for many life will never be quite the same. Why do I make this claim? I believe that for many of us we did not just lose power, we lost faith in the certainty of the power grid being able to provide power to us at all times. We realized we are over reliant on the grid and that our families are vulnerable. I think this storm was the one that made many of us realize that the electrical grid going down from time to time is going to be new normal. We have three choices as we respond to this trauma.
- Do nothing. Why? Perhaps we do not have the resources to react. Perhaps we figure that it will not happen again to us, but to somebody else instead.
- Buy a large expensive back-up power system, but continue to use lots of electricity, with no options.
- Learn to live with much less electricity, find alternative ways to do the jobs that the electrical grid does for us, and instead of running only a fossil fuel powered generator use batteries/solar to provide a small amount of power for a few of life’s essentials.
Now many of you regular CACOR readers know that CACOR has put together a manual on how to be ready for climate disaster–whether they be wind, power loss, flood, fire, or disease. If you have not done so, I recommend you download and read it from here: https://canadiancor.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/Plan-to-Survive-First-Edition-July-12-2019.pdf.
I listed options 1 & 2 to make the point that many “choices” are just plain dumb, so let’s focus on alternative #3 above. Here, then, are some thoughts on how you and I can be ready for the next time the grid goes down.
Like everything else our biggest challenge is we consume too TOO MUCH power. So, your first step is to reduce your energy load. That could mean, for example, increasing your insulation and improving your windows to reduce the heating/cooling load of your house. Having an alternative to a big stove that uses less power, such as a countertop mini-oven. It could mean having a wood stove to heat if the power fails in the winter [we do!]. It could mean having extra propane bottles and cooking on the BBQ or outside propane cooking stand [we do!]. To save food in your fridge/freezer have less perishable food around, and for the few items you have, use freezer pots [clay pots using evaporate cooling–they only work well when the air is dry] or have some cold packs frozen in your freezer to cover your food in large coolers which you put in your basement. It would also really help if you had a cold storage room in your basement.
I am planning, at my wife’s request, to install a new backup power system from Generac that includes batteries, solar panels, and a small propane generator for when the batteries run out. This is a new package of goodies that will only become available later this year in Canada. See http://investors.generac.com/news-releases/news-release-details/generac-unveils-new-pwrgenerator-designed-dramatically-extend. A first-of-its-kind, new addition to the PWRcell Solar + Battery Storage family, PWRgenerator connects directly to the PWRcell inverter, essentially creating a residential nano-grid allowing a home to be fully energy independent. PWRgenerator, when combined with a properly sized solar and battery storage system, delivers a complete level of energy independence, allowing homeowners to control and own their power. During the day, the solar panels provide power to the home and the excess can charge the battery. During the night, the battery discharges and if it reaches 30% state of charge, PWRgenerator will turn on and fully charge the battery in about 1 hour.
Alternatively, get an electric car with bi-directional power flow capabilities. This means you can charge your car’s batteries from you home when you have power and then use the car battery to power your home when there is a power failure. The Ford electric F150 Lightning has this capability [sadly, my electric GM Bolt does not]. Ford has launched its new Ford Charge Station Pro, a bi-directional home charging station that works with the F-150 Lightning electric pickup truck. It is offered at a surprisingly good price, considering it enables backup power and can basically replace a generator or Tesla Powerwall. When Ford unveiled the F-150 Lightning, one of the features that created the most buzz was its support for bi-directional charging: Ford intelligent Backup Power. This means you have access to 131 kilowatt-hours of energy–enough to run the basics in your home for a week. https://electrek.co/2022/03/01/ford-launches-bi-directional-home-charging-station-surprisingly-good-price/
If you live in the country you will not be able to pump water up from below ground, so you need a water source. If you water table is high, like us, you can install a hand pump in the basement [we did!].
I could go on, but here is the punchline: do something! You are going to lose power and if you are not prepared life becomes very miserable very fast. Now, of course, I have not explored the other disaster that are coming your way–floods, fires, etc. For those it is more basic–don’t live in a flood or high risk fire zone. You’ve been forewarned by Mother Nature. Heed her warning. Do whatever you is reasonable for you. Assume you WILL lose power. As I learned in the Boy Scouts:
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