How to avoid power outages

By Bill Streb Owner, Streb Electric

With wicked winter weather comes snowstorms and power outages.

There’s nothing worse than your power going out, often at important times like right in the middle of making dinner, and the fallout of having to find your old flashlights, which probably don’t work, not to mention the possibility of losing all the food in your fridge if it goes out for several hours or more.

If you’re experiencing lots of annoying outages, the first thing we recommend is to sell your home. (Ha-ha, just kidding.)

What we actually recommend is a backup generator.

The most affordable is a portable generator. If you have space in your panel for an extra two-pole breaker, this operates through an interlock kit that attaches directly to the panel cover. So, in the case of an outage, you’d turn off your panel and turn on the generator breaker. You’d turn on the breakers you need since it doesn’t generate enough electricity for the whole house.

The second option is a small generator backup panel, between six and eight circuits, where we run an inlet out to the portal generator area. This provides a panel with predetermined circuits you can run. It automatically kicks on in the event of an outage.

The third and most expensive option is a permanent gas generator, that we would size to fit your needs. It automatically transfers power from the power company to the generator power. Many of these are Bluetooth-enabled, so if you’re out of town you can see if it kicked on.

Give us a call so we can recommend the best strategy for your electrical needs. From my family to yours, happy holidays.

Streb Electric is headquartered in Willoughby. For the past 40 years, the family-operated service company has earned a reputation for making sure homes are safe and free from electrical hazards. Call 440-953-5819 or visit StrebElectric.com for more information.