With 160 million people across 30 states under heat alerts, the U.S. Department of Energy has declared a grid emergency, directing the nation’s largest grid operator to take extraordinary measures to prevent blackouts. Heat indices are forecast to reach 110 degrees or higher from Chicago to Washington, D.C., electricity demand is threatening a record that has stood for two decades, and outages have already climbed past 200,000 customers.

The Grid Is Stretched to Its Limit

Officials warn that localized rolling blackouts may be needed to protect the system during peak demand, meaning even neighborhoods with no storm damage could lose power on the hottest days of the year. In heat like this, a home without air conditioning becomes dangerous within hours.

Preparing for Heat-Driven Outages

• Inspect your standby generator and confirm it is sized to run your cooling system.
• Run a test cycle in the heat of the day, when the grid and your equipment are most stressed.
• Verify natural gas or propane connections are serviced and secure.
• Consider an upgrade. Whole-home backup solutions from Generac and Kohler keep air conditioning running when the grid cannot.

Stay Informed

Follow conservation requests from your utility, check on vulnerable neighbors daily, and treat every heat advisory as the health emergency it is.