3 Reasons Why Power Outages Happen in the Summer

Summer is a time of warmer weather, vacations, and outdoor activities. Unfortunately, it is also a season that sees an increased number of power outages. If you experience your electricity going out, you may need to contact an electrician in Winnipeg to get your home up and running again. Here are three reasons why you may experience power outages during the summer. 

1. Animals

Like humans, animals tend to be more active in summertime, when the weather is warmer and daylight hours are longer. Animals such as birds, squirrels, and mice like to nest in and around houses since there is often easy access to food in these locations. Pests often reach places high off the ground by traversing across power lines, where they cause wear and tear on the wires and may even inadvertently cause a connection to come loose.

Mice and rats have growing teeth that cause them to chew on nearly everything, including electrical wires. This chewing is both dangerous for the animal and a hazard to your supply of electricity. In addition, droppings that build up from animals nesting on electrical equipment can also degrade the equipment and make a power outage more likely. 

Electrical repair services can fix damaged wires in and around your home. There are also some things that these services can do to prevent future power outages caused by animals, such as:

• Placing anti-roosting devices on electrical equipment to ward off various bird species
• Adhering fibreglass or steel tape to equipment to make it less enticing for chewing
• Using a chemical repellent on or around equipment 

Working on power lines can be risky, so always contact a professional to get the job done safely. 

2. Demand

One thing that many people look forward to about summer is the more hospitable weather. However, the heat increases the demand for air conditioning to keep people comfortable in homes, offices, and other buildings. Air conditioning units and fans use a lot of electricity, and outages may occur when the demand on the electrical grid becomes too high. Central air conditioning and window units both contribute to this increase in demand. Some ways to keep your personal energy usage in check include:

• Keeping the temperature of your home or office around 24 degrees Celcius, and warmer when the building is unoccupied 
• Shutting off lights in rooms that nobody is using and taking advantage of natural light that is more abundant in the summer months
• Powering off the television and other devices when not in use 
• Use cold water when washing clothes, when possible 

Even Winnipeg, which is at a high latitude, can see some sweltering days in the months of July and August. However, everyone can work together to help keep the demand for electricity low. Keeping your energy usage low not only helps the power grid but your wallet as well in the form of lower power bills. 

3. Storms

Thunderstorms are more common in the summer due to the warmer air and longer days. Some of the many reasons why storms can cause power outages include:

• Lightening that can strike electrical equipment and power lines
• Flooding can damage devices on the ground
• Heavy winds that may knock down objects

As with all weather events, there is not much that can be done to prevent thunderstorms. Fortunately, electricians know what needs to be done in order to restore power after a major storm. 

If you have any concerns regarding repairing or installing an electrical fixture, contact Handyman Connection today. Our customer-oriented professionals can install lighting, troubleshoot problems, put in a backup generator to help during power outages, and more.