Thunder sleet. Thunder snow. Mother Nature seems to be pulling out all of her tricks for the latest storm that is pummeling parts of the East coast.
Residential and commercial generators are in high demand, but short supply, as much of the Mid Atlantic and Northeast braces itself for a Nor’easter snow storm this second week in March. As schools close and businesses tell their employees to stay home, many are fearful that the high winds and heavy wet snow will cause them to lose power. With the kind of snow that was coming down before noon on Tuesday morning, some airports are shut down as much as 80%. Even the federal government is telling people to work from home and stay off the roads.
With as many as 70 million people in nine states being affected by the path of the storm, parents may be struggling to figure out what to do with the kids who are not in school, they are frightened about the potential loss of electricity.
Although the students may be excited about the cancellation of classes, home owners and institution managers of hospitals, nursing homes, and other places fear that their residential and commercial generators will provide the back up power needed if the worst occurs and power is lost.
Electric generators, large commercial generators are not often used very frequently, but when they are needed it is essential that they are fully functioning. And while residential generators are especially important to individual families, the safety of patients and the elderly depend on commercial generators for keeping patients of all ages and elderly nursing home residents both warm and safe.
Even the transition from snow to sleet threatens the health of individuals in large institutions as the heavier weight of sleet that could bring down above ground power lines and threaten the safety of those who are already at a health risk.
Commercial Generators Provide a Lifeline for Hospital and Nursing Home Residents Who Lose Power from Heavy Snow Storms
When wet and heavy snow gets on power lines and the high winds kick up, commercial generators may be all that comes between a freezing hospital room and a powerless oxygen machine in the event of a storm that knocks out traditional sources of electricity.
Consider some of these facts and figures about the importance and reliance on electricity and how generator preventative maintenance can help you be prepared for dangerous weather conditions:
- Two-thirds of all homes in America have air conditioners.
- How are you preparing for an eventual break in electrical service?
- Electrical fires cause $1.4 billion in property damage every year.
- Never assume that a generator will work when it is needed. Follow the manufacturer recommendation for generator services and maintenance.
- Estimates indicate that sealing and insulating ducts can improve the efficiency of a heating and cooling system by as much as 20%.
- Every business should have a back up plan for a power outage.
- Depending on where you live, power outages can be fairly common.
- For lower heating and cooling bills, change air filters once a month.
- One single airflow problem can reduce a HVAC system’s efficiency by 15%.
- Rewards for proper HVAC maintenance include fewer days without heating and cooling comforts.
- Powerwise, air conditioners use 5% of all the electricity produced in the U.S.
- Owning a commercial generator can keep you safe in the event of an emergency.
- Where were you the last time there was a major power outage?
- Energy-efficient upgrades can save money. In fact, switching to high-efficiency air conditioners and taking other actions to keep a home cool could reduce air conditioning energy use by 20% to 50%.
- Realizing that we are all vulnerable to the devastating effects of extreme weather conditions should be enough to make both home and business owners understand the benefit of having a generator available.
It should not take a major East coast snow storm interrupting all other news coverage to make people realize the importance of having a generator available for back up power in the event of an emergency. When the generators are flying off the shelves of local retailers, however, the need for a plan for back up power becomes more evident. If you lose power, do you have a plan?