questions about storm caused power outages (Bellevue, Redmond: appointed, power lines, mover)

[ChristieB]

My husband and I are thinking about relocating to Washington State.
We are considering the Silverdale/Poulsbo and Bellevue/Redmond/Kirkland areas.
We are running a home based business, we use computer/internet/phone all day long, so the reliability of the public electric utility service, internet and phone connections are very important to us.
My questions are, during those storms like the one Washington State just had, how reliable is the electric service/internet/phone in those areas we are thinking about?
Were there power outages during the storms recently and in the past in those areas? if so, how long do they last? is it better for that to live close by a bigger city like Bellevue than Silverdale?

[scirocco22]

Yes, Christie, I think you answered your own question in a way. Bellevue/Redmond/Kirkland are very densely populated compared to a lot of places in Kitsap County. So because of that, the "eastside" looses power much less than other less densely populated areas and when they do, the outages are much less in duration because of the concentrated population of both residential areas and businesses.

At one time, I lived close the the Microsoft campus and believe me, lost power very infrequently and when I did, it was only off for a very brief period of time. Not only Microsoft but a host of prominent business have a physical presence on the Eastside so I'm thinking there's a priority in Puget Power's reasoning to have power restored quickly.

Also, a lot of the eastside has been developed in the past 30 years or so when underground utilities were stressed when building and developing new areas. Less overhead power lines mean less chances of trees coming down upon them. Widespread outages will occur at times because of problems with trunk lines but are a priority to repair.

On the other hand, out in Kitsap County, there are more trees and more power lines with less of a population base. Because of this, you'll often hear of parts of Kitsap County getting hit hard with power outages in big storms and of course they'll be out of power for a lot longer than the more densely populated King County.

[LMB]

Christie, we were concerned about the same thing while researching Puget Sound areas over the last few years for our move here this past July. For that reason, we often asked about power outages in communities we were interested in. My husband and I are graphic designers and work from home, so computers, internet file transfer, and phones are very important to us too.

We found the perfect place for us intown, near the historic downtown area of Poulsbo. Although our neighbors tell us the power will probably go off a few times each winter, they say usually it's not for more than a few hours in this neighborhood. So far we haven't lost power even once, but when we do, we'll deal with it and hope it doesn't affect a deadline. :-P

I worked with a Poulsbo designer for over 10 years from my previous employer's corporate office in FL and power outages were never once an issue in receiving her work on time--or being able to communicate. As a matter of fact, I only remember her power being out one time while we were in the middle of a project, and that was last winter after one of the wilder PNW windstorms. She took her laptop to a downtown coffee house and sent files through their wireless connection. Your work may be more time critical, so this may be too iffy for you. You could always get a generator, which would keep your computer up and running, but no guarantees about internet service if there is weather damage.

Last winter, after our nephew and his family in Kirkland lost power for 10 days in that same severe December storm, we decided there are very few power "safe" areas up here. Ironically, he had to move his family in with his mom here in Poulsbo, as she didn't lose power at all during or after the huge storm! Go figure! There are sure a lot of tall trees out here in rural areas of Kitsap, but maybe being closer to town and away from those areas helps. We really wanted to live in a small town atmosphere with a slower paced lifestyle, and we have found that here. If we have some occasional power outages, we feel that will be a small price to pay. We have Comcast, and have not yet lost internet or cable tv. Back in FL, our cable service would go off randomly (even in perfect weather) several times a week! I can't speak for any other areas of Kitsap, but cable service seems quite stable here.

Good luck with your search!

Lynn

[mthomson]

I live about 20 minutes from Silverdale just down the Peninsula, and I would agree that power probably goes out more here than in a place like Bellevue or Kirkland, but it's certainly not a big enough issue to be a determiner in where you move.
I'm a realtor who works from home as much as from my office, and in the 11 years I've lived here, we've lost power maybe a dozen times. Our longest stretch was last December, and we were without for 3+days. Other than that one time, we've never been without for more than 6 hours.

[Ultrarunner]

Install an automatic stand-by generator if your need for uninterrupted power is essential or buy one of the small Honda super quiet and fuel efficient inverter generators to plug your computers UPS power supply into for under $1000.

No matter where you are, the power can and will go out. Part of my responsibilities include a Hospital Standby Power System.

My nephew and neices where almost disappointed when the power returned after a long outage. They were having so much fun that they asked if we could "Unplug" the house again.

[motherrain]

Besides a backup generator, you should look into satellite internet. We looked into this because we live almost at the end of the line and are almost the last to regain power. Direct TV is the only server I am aware of but there are probably many. That way when the trees take the phone lines down with the power lines you will still be able to work.

The utilities are restored to the most peopled areas first.

[Ultrarunner]

I see a lot of WildBlue satellite Internet around South Sound.

[ChristieB]

Thanks to all of you that replied, we really appreciate it.
I think we just have to find the place we love, prepare for it, install a generator and a satellite Internet if we live in the Silverdale/Poulsbo area.

[Fat Freddy]

I have been thinking of installing an automatic backup system for some time and this recent storm has convinced me to do it.

I have been looking at a Guardian propane operated 16KW system.
Our house is new, small, well insulated, and energy efficient. All our lighting is fluorescent, and the appliances are energy star rated.

I'm not sure how much the heat pump uses. I'll have to look that up. But I remember the utility company gave us a thousand dollar rebate for installing that model because it was so energy efficient.

I think propane is the best choice for us because it has a longer shelf life than either gasoline or diesel and it doesn't depend on electricity to pump it which was a big problem in the recent storm.

The 16KW unit costs about $3,000 and will power the whole house except the heat pump, and maybe even that if nothing else is running.

Anyone have experience with these units?

[Ultrarunner]

Propane/Natural Gas is the way to go for Long Shelf life. The Shelf Life is realistically unlimited as opposed to gasoline or diesel. Definitely the way to go if you already have a Propane Tank

The downside is that you are generally limited in refueling. You might only have one or two suppliers and it might be difficult to obtain in an emergency.

Guardian propane generators are very popular in Texas. Friends tell me that you don't want to be without Air Conditioning in the event of a power outage in summer.

I have or maintain Propane, Natural Gas, Gasoline and Diesel Generators.

16KW is on the large size for most residences. Check the rating to see if the 16KW is the Standby rating vs Prime Mover/Continuous.

I have a 5KW propane/natural gas fired standby unit from 1980 and it will power everything in my home, but not everything at one time.

The larger the unit, the higher the fuel cost per hour of run time. Also check the Decibel rating... quieter is better... especially if you have neighbors.

I've found it helpful to start with a clean sheet of paper and write down all of the essential electrical load items in one column and desired in another to determine the size you need.

Some questions to consider...

Do you NEED electricity for:

Water (if you have a well pump)

Sewer if you have a pump for your septic

Sump Pump

Refrigeration

Heat your home

Cooking

Lighting

Computer/Phone

Laundry

Unless you are all electric, you can often get by with a smaller unit that is more economical.

Don't forget to get a good UPS (Uninterruptible Power Supply) for any electronics like computers and printers. Electronic devices are easily damaged by voltage spikes and most generators do not provide "Clean" power.

The exception would be one of the new small Honda inverter units... Very Quiet, Fuel Efficient and Clean enough for Electronics. These units require gasoline and are generally not suitable for automatic backup systems.

One caution regarding Automatic Standby Power... you may want to disable the automatic feature if you plan to be away for an extended period. In the best case, you will have saved a lot of fuel and the worst case could be damaged equipment from overheating, low oil, etc.