# I just experienced a power outage **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [January 29, 2011, 9:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-experienced-a-power-outage/569397 "2011-01-29T09:56:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Nobody](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/94ad74/32.png) [@Nobody](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nobody)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2011, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-experienced-a-power-outage/569397/21 "2011-01-30T22:53:21Z")
Thanks. I’ll keep that in mind, but it will be a long, long time before I move. ---
**Author:** ![chizzuk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e36b37/32.png) [@chizzuk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chizzuk)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2011, 2:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-experienced-a-power-outage/569397/22 "2011-01-31T02:03:11Z")
> [@Cliffy](#): > > Pepco is seriously the worst power company you could ever think of. After the Snowpocalypse last year they kept saying that sure, they **could** bury the lines, but that’s expensive. Except how much could it possibly cost, amortized over all customers and several years? Every year practically every household in the county has to throw out a fridge worth of food at least two times a year, not to mention hotel costs. I can’t imagine what it would be like for someone who had medical issues like the OP’s wife – it’s tough enough to deal with making sure my kid gets fed and keeps warm. > > This time around we were lucky enough to escape except for about a half-hour on Friday morning (a day and a half after the storm). But who knows – as **chizzuk** says, sometimes it just goes out for no reason at all. > > –Cliffy Montgomery County will be having a hearing to interrogate them on how much they suck on Feb. 7. Since the County Council building gets its electricity from Pepco, the meeting will probably be held by candlelight in a 40-degree room. We are getting more winter weather midweek, after all, and that’s only 5 days lead time. ---
**Author:** ![BaconAndEggs](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/f4b2a3/32.png) [@BaconAndEggs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BaconAndEggs)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2011, 9:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-experienced-a-power-outage/569397/23 "2011-01-31T09:07:00Z")
I was halfway through reading this post when the power went out. It’s 1am and it scared the shit out of me. I was stuck in the dark for about 2 minutes…then it came back on. ---
**Author:** ![gotpasswords](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c57346/32.png) [@gotpasswords](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gotpasswords)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2011, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-experienced-a-power-outage/569397/24 "2011-01-31T17:27:41Z")
[QUOTE=aruvqan] What is expensive is a generac generator that auto rolls on once a week to test, and automatically turns on and switches power systems from line to generator. Those are around $5K for the generator, another $1k for the labor, a cement pad, a fuel source, and a bit of rewiring on the house, about another $4k or so depending on material cost and how much rewiring needs to be done. [/QUOTE] FWIW, my local Home Depot is offering a Generac unit installed for $4995 right now. No idea what the kW rating is, but a 20 kW (100 amps) unit on its own is $4100. That’s enough juice to run my entire home with two central AC units. An 8 kW unit is $2200, but the installation costs should be all but identical. They semi-helpfully offer that if you do some of the basic labor like pouring the pad and running conduit, you can save some on the installation. ---
**Author:** ![Count\_Blucher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Count\_Blucher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Count_Blucher)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2011, 4:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-experienced-a-power-outage/569397/25 "2011-02-02T04:40:38Z")
> [@Rumor\_Watkins](#): > > the second part I could understand, but I can’t believe that power-dependent medical patients are concentrated in certain neighborhoods to make sense? > > i’m not being argumentative for the sake of it, it just seems like more of a platitude than any kind of feasible, and used, policy. Sorry I’m late; I was getting beer. Medical dependant patients may never be shut off by a utility & need to be given first priority wherever possible. Two houses out of power & one is medical dependent, the md house is restored first. Two wires down & one wire has a house on that circuit thats md, that one gets done first. PS- Wednesday is Ice-Storm day at Carvel. Posting b4 I lose power too… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-experienced-a-power-outage/569397.md?page=1)