As Hurricane Sandy taught us, it’s never a bad idea to be too prepared when it comes to your own safety! Almost 8 million utility customers across the Mid-Atlantic and New England lost power after Hurricane Sandy made landfall at the end of October. While many parts of the Northeast are still picking up the pieces from the devastation of Hurricane Sandy and the $50+ billion in damages, it’s important to understand why so many people were left without heat and power and what we can do to prepare for any future storms. 

For larger residential and commercial buildings, it’s important to make logical and energy efficient investments with an emphasis on reliability. One approach that is gaining momentum and proved its effectiveness during Sandy is, natural gas fired cogeneration systems combined with smart or micro grids.  For example, while many, many areas were without power, New York University powered on, due in part to their cogeneration system, which is a small network of its own, that burns natural gas in a unit that not only makes electricity but also delivered the heat that would otherwise go to waste for use in heating and cooling. In Washington D.C. and Maryland, utility company Pepco was able to pinpoint outages, quickly restore power to customers, and reroute electricity because of their network of smart meters.

 Another equally important factor in preparing for a storm is making sure your CO detector and fire alarm systems are fully charged and working properly.  According to the Center for Disease Control, each year more than 400 Americans die from unintentional CO poisoning, more than 20,000 visit the emergency room and more than 4,000 are hospitalized due to CO poisoning. In the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, the number of cases of carbon monoxide exposure was more than 6 times as high as expected.

• Install a battery-operated or battery back-up CO detector in your home and check or replace the battery when you change the time on your clocks each spring and fall.
• Never use a generator inside your home, basement, or garage or near a window, door, or vent.

Fire alarm systems generally consist of a central control panel that activates all alerts when alarms and detectors sense heat and/or smoke. However, the central panel operates from grid power, posing a hazard to residents during a prolonged power outage where emergency batteries generally can only operate a system for an average of 24 hours, and not everyone owns an emergency generator.

 With more winter storms still to come, make sure you take the necessary steps now to back up your life safety systems in the event of a weather emergency. You can never be too careful.