What’s a Power Outage, and How Are They Caused?

But what exactly causes power outages and, more importantly, how can you protect your home from their effects? In this brief article brought to you by Mr. Electric, we explore just that. If you’d rather consult with a certified electrician, then call Mr. Electric to get in touch.

What exactly is a power outage?

Simply put, a power outage is a loss of electrical power. This can happen on a small scale where a blown fuse in your home cuts power to a circuit, or it can happen on a large scale that affects entire neighborhoods or cities. The duration of a power outage can vary from less than a second to days or even weeks.

Modern life as we know it grinds to a halt when the power goes out. No lights, no appliances, no internet and, in some cases, no heating or air conditioning. For businesses, power outages can lead to significant losses in productivity and revenue.

What causes power outages?

Power outages can happen for a variety of reasons. Let’s look at the most common causes:

• Utility companies provide power to entire regions and issues at the power plant or distribution center can cut off electricity to hundreds or thousands of customers. These issues might be related to equipment failure, planned maintenance, or even cyberattacks on power grids.
• Simultaneously running several heavy-duty appliances like air conditioners, space heaters, or dryers can overload your circuit breaker or fuse box and result in a localized power outage.
• Lightning strikes can damage power lines or transformers while heavy winds and ice can knock over utility poles and trees. Extreme heat and cold can also cause power systems to fail due to the extra strain on the grid.
• Sometimes, a simple accident like a car crashing into a utility pole can knock out power for an entire street or block.

Protecting your electrical system, electronics, and appliances

One of the biggest risks during power outages is the potential damage to your electronics from power surges. When the power suddenly goes out and then comes back on, the surge of electricity can overwhelm your devices, fry circuits, and render appliances, computers, or TVs useless.

This is where a whole-house surge protector comes in. A surge protector works by diverting excess voltage from a power surge away from your electronics and appliances and channeling it to the ground.