Texans are still reeling from the 2021 February freeze, which left 4.5 million Texas homes without power and led to statewide heating, food, and water shortages. In addition to those shortages, burst pipes and other weak infrastructure lead to flooding and extensive property damage, including a massive number of pollutants being released into the atmosphere from the stopping and restarting of the fossil fuel infrastructure.
It was a disaster. With summer to our backs and winter not far ahead, the trauma of the crisis is leading Texans to start preparing now for potential outages in the future.
Gas Generators for Texas Power Outages
Texans have been trying to mitigate crisis effects by starting in their own homes. In Austin alone, the number of home generator permit applications has risen from 43 in 2020 to 303 in 2021. People are purchasing traditional gas generators to keep their homes warm all winter – no matter what happens to the power grid. But, in the face of crisis, are generators the right choice for Texans?
Gasoline Generators
Many generators run on gasoline fuels: unleaded and diesel, both of which are highly flammable and expensive. And, beyond the costs of keeping it on, maintenance costs for these generators are also costly. You may as well be burning your dollars to keep warm! And, if you run out, it’s not so easy to drive to the gas station during a crisis like the one in February – if the station is even operational.
What’s more, these generators are infamous for their emissions. As they burn fuel for electricity, they release carbon dioxide, particulates, and other dangerous gases into the local air. Bulky, noisy, and bad for air quality, gas generators are not an ideal solution to long-term power outages like those that threaten Texans.
Natural Gas Generators
Natural gas generators are an increasingly popular replacement for traditional gasoline generators; some consumers prefer the reliability of the natural gas generator because it can be connected to your utility pipeline.
However, natural gas, a cleaner alternative to gasoline, is expected to skyrocket in price this fall and winter seasons due to worldwide shortages. In addition, the generators can become highly unstable and explosive if a pipeline bursts. If the natural gas supply is interrupted, so is your access to power.
Home Battery Storage for Texas Power Outages
Luckily, there is an alternative: home battery storage. Unlike gasoline and natural gas generators, home battery storage, or a wall battery, is an ideal energy investment for Texans.
Wall Batteries, like the LG Chem RESU10h or Tesla Powerwall, make outages manageable. They don’t have all the maintenance costs associated with traditional generators and are far more reliable; within seconds of an outage, your power will kick back on with a battery backup.
Many homeowners think you need solar to use battery backups, but that isn’t the case. While solar can charge up your battery with sustainable, free energy, your local power grid can also charge up your battery. So, even when the grid is down, you’re still able to access the electricity you own.
You can read more about the advantages of backup batteries for power outages in our previous blog post.
And, if you’re a Texas who is tired of being left in the dark — even if you don’t own solar panels – you, too, can stay warm all winter with a home backup battery.
Have a question about wall batteries? Give us a call at 512-837-4800. Our team can walk you through any questions you may have.
