4.5 Million Without Power as Irene Heads North

Updated: Aug 28, 2011 2:30 p.m. EDT

Residents of Annapolis, Md., look at downed power lines after Hurricane Irene, Sunday, Aug. 28, 2011. More than 4.5 million homes and businesses were without power

The number of power outages that can be blamed on Tropical Storm Irene has surpassed four and a half million.

Winds of up to 115 miles per hour whipped across the Eastern Seaboard, ripping power lines from poles and snapping trees in half. Hospitals, emergency call centers and other crucial facilities were holding up, but officials said it could get much worse as Irene churns north.

Other notable hurricane outages:

Opal 1995 2 million

Isabel 2003 4.5 million

Katrina 2005 3 million(estimate)

Northeast

New York (statewide) customers without power 905,334.

The New York Stock Exchange has backup generators and can run on it’s own, a spokesman said. The exchange expects to open as ususal Monday morning, though it may change plans depending on the storm

New Jersey 400,000 outages.

Connecticut Light & Power Co. 486,000 outages.

CL&P and UI officials say crews won’t begin restoring power until conditions are safe. Hurricane-force winds are expected to hit the state later Sunday morning.

Washington DC reporting 193,230 outages.

Mid-Atlantic

In eastern Pennsylvania, PECO reported 270,000 customers without power.

Dominion Resources reported outages for about 979,000 of its customers in Virginia and North Carolina at 7:30 a.m., while Progress Energy was reporting 206,000 customers without power on its website.

Maryland approx. 824,000 outages.

Virginia: Over 2.5 million outages. 75% of Richmond, 50% Hampton Roads, 12% Northern Virginia without power. 2nd largest outage in Virginia history.

Carolinas

North Carolina more than 500,000

New England

Massachusetts 80,000 to 100,00 without power.

Rhode Island 100,000 Customers without power.

Read the entire article

The ARC Tech pro is is designed to provide enhanced protection against heavy electrical power surges and lightning surges 

For more information steve@energyefficientdevices.org or call Steve at 661.305.3332 

With so many of today’s appliances in the home and the office using expensive electronic components, it only makes sense to invest in a power surge protector. But how to choose the best level of protection for your household appliances and business equipment and how many do you need?

“If a power surge occurs during the hurricane, you do not want it to fry all your appliances or start an electrical fire.” 

From basic power surge strips to advanced power surge protectors to expensive uninterrupted power supply (UPS). When it comes down to it, you have to decide what type of protection will work for your electronics and is it worth for you. Some people can not live without their computer or television. 

“I have a 42 inch plasma screen Philips TV that was the victim of a power surge two nights ago. The TV is two years old and cost 800 bucks when I bought it. Is it possible to fix a TV after it has been zapped by a power surge? Or am I looking at a total loss?”

What about a business? With so many businesses dependent on electronic equipment, how do you choose which device is best to protect your business systems? After spending upwards of $20,000, $50,000, $100,000 on such systems,  why would you not spend a little more and invest in power surge protection, too?

“Of course ultimately it’s up to the end user, but I strongly recommend purchasing the highest end surge protector you can afford. As an electrician, I’ve seen untold computers, light fixtures, appliances, and even entire homes and businesses trashed by lightning strikes on or close to the transformer that supplies power to their home or office.”

We recommend the ARC Tech Pro Residential for the home and the ARC Tech Pro Commercial for your business or office building.

ARC Tech Pro Residential s designed to protect valuable electronics and appliances from transients and surge disturbances on your AC power line before they enter your home. In addition, there is a Lifetime $75,000 Connected Equipment Warranty

The ARC Tech Pro Commercial designed for ease of installation at the main service panel in single office suites and small businesses such as Doctors Offices, Dental Offices, Title Companies, Realtors, Law Firms, Engineers/Architects, Spas/Salons. This Series is designed to improve energy efficiency, reduce utility costs and protect valuable electronics and appliances from transients and surge disturbances on AC power lines.

For more information and to get a quote email Steve at swilson@gesolutionsinc.com or call Steve at 661.305.3332 

Power Surge Protection Video

Surge Protection and surge protectors. Lightning has become a growing threat to our highly electronic society. Most people think of lighting surge protection or whole house surge protection. But the ARC Tech Pro is designed to provide continuous protection of valuable electronics, equipment and appliances in the home AND at the workplace. The ARC Tech Pro Residential and Commercial series are helping to protect against lightning surge and power surge and improve the energy efficiency of:

Homes and Apartments

Condo Associations

Commercial Buildings and Office Suites

Restaurants

Hotels

Manufacturing Plants and Small Industrial Plants

Municipal Utilities

Schools

The ARC-TECH PRO series combines electrical circuit efficiency with Surge Protection. This is a highly reliable and affordable solution to protect electronics, computers and valuable files while improving energy efficiency in the home and the workplace.

The users of electronic equipment and telephone and data-processing systems must face the problem of keeping this equipment in operation in spite of the transient overvoltages induced by lightning. There are several reasons for this fact (1) the high level of integration of electronic components makes the equipment more vulnerable, (2) interruption of service is unacceptable (3) data transmission networks cover large areas and are exposed to more disturbances.

Transient overvoltages have three main causes: 

Lightning

Industrial and switching surges

Electrostatic Discharge (ESD)

For more information and to get a quote email steve@energyefficientdevices.org or call Steve at 661.305.3332