3 Ways You Can Help Restore Power Faster During an Outage

Understanding Cold Load pickup and restoring your power faster in Grant County, WA

At Grant PUD, we recognize the importance of keeping our community informed about critical aspects of power management.

Understanding Cold Load Pickup

Cold load pickup occurs when there is a significant increase in electricity demand immediately after power restoration following an outage. If too much electricity is demanded simultaneously, it can strain the power system, leading to delays in restoring power or potentially causing another outage.

How You Can Help

Your proactive steps can greatly influence the stability of our electrical grid. You can contribute by doing these 3 important things:

1. Flip the Breakers on Major Appliances: When your outage occurs, flip breakers on your high power usage items such as furnace, stove, water heater, dryer, etc. *Appliances responsible for heating water and air consume a significant amount of energy and can contribute greatly to the initial surge in demand when power is restored.
2. Use Your Porch Light as a Signal: Turning on your porch light helps our utility crews to know when the power is back in different areas.
3. Wait Before Reconnecting: After power is restored, wait a few minutes before reconnecting your appliances, one at a time. This helps prevent a sudden surge in electrical demand.

The Impact of Your Participation

By reconnecting appliances in a staggered manner once power is restored especially those that consume more energy like heating units, you help distribute the electrical load more evenly. This prevents the risk of overloading the system.

Grant PUD's Commitment

At Grant PUD, we are dedicated to providing reliable and efficient power services. We welcome any questions you might have. Your active participation in managing cold load pickup, particularly by being mindful of high-energy consuming appliances, is crucial. Through these simple yet impactful actions, you contribute to the stability and efficiency of our power system. We thank you for your cooperation and commitment to our community’s well-being.