Recently, we were featured in Bloomberg exploring how unpredictable power surges threaten the US grid & homes. Data reveals that nearly 1 million homes may be receiving dangerous power today. This, understandably, sounds like a sizable problem to tackle. But with Ting sensors like the one in your home, we’re helping to make homes smarter & safer and contributing to a more resilient grid.
How do you know if the electricity delivered to your home is safe? Having Ting in your home is an excellent first step. While Ting is on the lookout for tiny signals indicative of electrical fire hazards, it also serves as an accurate quality monitor. There are also a few signs you can look for and preventative measures you can take before a hazardous situation can develop.
Here’s what you should know about power quality and why it matters for your home.
What is Power Quality?
Power quality is a complex topic. For this article, we’ll limit to what is most important to homeowners – power that is reliable, consistent, and most of all, safe.
The electricity delivered to your home by your utility provider is typically supplied at around 120 volts. Voltage should usually remain within 5% of 120V, or between 114V – 126V. However, it is generally considered acceptable and safe in a +/- 10% range, or between 108 – 132 volts. Voltage that falls consistently within this range normally represents “safe” power.
You may notice infrequent or occasional spikes (surges) or drops (sags or brownouts) in voltage beyond the range mentioned above of 108 to 132 volts in your Weekly Ting Monitoring Report. A single brownout or surge event is not necessarily dangerous on its own. However, there is no way to know for certain whether damage could occur. After power outages, it is also possible to have dangerous surges when power is restarted. Note: Ting will not be able to alert you to these hazards since the sensor and your internet connection are not working immediately on a power restoration.
Power quality events that occur more frequently can indicate “bad” power and could be dangerous. This can indicate poor grid resiliency on a larger scale beyond your home – across entire neighborhoods or even wider regions. You can check how your electrical utility provider ranks with respect to grid faults that impact power quality, based on our data here.
How Are Power Quality Problems Dangerous?
Power quality problems can be dangerous and potentially cause:
- an electrical fire in your home
- electrocution from dangerous stray voltage
- damage to appliances and electronics
- wildfires in prone communities
“Our utility company was sending too much power into our home. I’m disappointed with the utility company in that they did not act sooner and did not contact me to discuss why they were sending too much voltage into our house. We fortunately did not have any damage to our home, computers, appliances, etc. We would not have known of this danger had we not had Ting.”
– Maria in Chicago, IL
What Causes Power Quality Problems?
Several factors can affect power quality:
- Electricity demand: the growing demand for electricity with the shift toward electric cars, heating systems, manufacturing/shipping, and other advancements places increasing strain on the grid.
- Aging infrastructure: old equipment and lack of maintenance cannot keep up with increasing demand and greater grid complexity with home solar and battery systems.
- Extreme weather: powerful winds, lightning strikes, & fallen tree branches can damage power lines, poles, and other equipment.
- Animal interferences: chewing squirrels, nesting birds, burrowing gophers, and other wildlife can cause damage to equipment.
- Lack of data & technology: utilities, municipalities, and regulators lack the resources for finding and disclosing power problems.
“We had flickering lights and thought it was just surges from mini mansions nearby. Ting would show surges and kept notifying us of that. Then Ting sent hazard alerts that we had a dangerous condition. I called my utility and gave them info from Ting. A lineman came and checked the house connection and said it was troublesome, so he was going to check at the street. Squirrels had chewed the main line in a place that was only visible from above. He changed the entire connection from the street. I believe Ting saved my house from a fire that was imminent from the worn main wire. I am pushing all my friends and family to get Ting.”
– Patrick in Atlanta, GA
How to Identify “Bad” Power Quality in Your Home
One of the more common outward signs of power quality issues is flickering/dimming lights (especially while running appliances such as the microwave or washing machine) or appliances that mysteriously stop working. However, not everyone who detects these signs necessarily experiences bad power quality, and not everyone who has bad power quality may see these signs yet. Unfortunately, some grid resiliency concerns are not evident until a major event occurs – such as the Waltham power surges or Maui fires.
The key takeaway is that you should contact your utility company if something doesn’t seem right. Repeated power outages, brownouts, or appliances failing or acting up could indicate a power quality problem.
If Ting detects a fire hazard stemming from your utility provider’s equipment, our Fire Safety Team will notify you and provide specific guidance on contacting your utility, including communication advice here.
“Ting more than likely saved our appliances if not our lives. We have been contacting our power company for the last 2 years about this issue. When we turned on appliances, the lights would flicker. The same transformer in our backyard has blown 3 times in the last 2 years. They told us it was an issue on our end. With the Ting app and the hazard alert it sent about the loose neutral, they finally sent someone out to look at it instead of just checking over the phone. When the technician came out last night, he immediately pointed out numerous fire hazards and issues. He said we were incredibly lucky. All this to say, thank you! The issue is finally being fixed and I am forever grateful for Ting.”
– Nikki in Anderson, SC
What Steps Can You Take to Better Protect Your Family & Home?
Your home and everything connected to electricity forms its own unique “electrical grid” that requires safe, reliable power. Aside from having Ting, there are a few things you can do to ensure you have the power you need and to help prevent damage or fire that power quality issues could cause:
- Keep an eye on your Weekly Ting Monitoring Report: this is emailed to you every Monday; don’t forget to check the voltage report graphs to see any dips, surges, or outages during the previous week (note: we will notify you if any event is deemed hazardous).
- Install whole house surge protection: a surge protector protects your devices and appliances in the event of a power surge and is especially important if you regularly experience lightning storms or if your utility power is not safe and reliable.
- Install a backup generator: a reliable backup generator is essential for ensuring backup power is available for important circuits in the home during a power outage.
- Get a professional electrical inspection: if you’ve never had one and you’ve been in your home 10 years or more, have an electrician conduct an inspect to ensure your electrical components are safe and able to better withstand, which will lower your risk of damage or fire.
- Keep your power company in the loop: if power quality issues continue, notify your utility provider so they can send a technician to inspect – they can’t help what they aren’t aware of!
Above all, trust your senses. Flickering lights, strange odors, and cracking sounds can indicate a power problem or worse. If you have Ting and sense something isn’t right or aren’t sure, our Fire Safety Team is here to help. We can help you determine whether a power quality issue is dangerous and determine the next steps to get it fixed with your utility company.