Benton Rural Electric Assn, WA
Power reliability at Benton Rural Electric Assn
Washington's grid here runs a bit rougher than most: 1 outages from Benton Rural Electric Assn in the most recent year, 5.1 hours total. That is 21% less outage time than the Washington state average of 6.4 hours a year.
Outage length, and what it means for a generator
Outages here average 5.3 hours before power returns. At that length, continuous fuel supply matters more than stored capacity, which favors a standby generator over anything battery-based. Why outage length, not count, picks the backup: how often vs how long.
What this means for buying a generator
Serving 16,702 customers here, Benton Rural Electric Assn customers lose more power than most of the country sees, so a generator is worth getting rather than an overreaction.
Where this number comes from
Benton Rural Electric Assn filed these numbers itself, as a member-owned cooperative, under EIA Form 861 - a federal reliability report covering its entire Washington territory, serving 16,702 customers here, not a single street or outage. Want the Washington average instead of just this one utility? Washington's statewide record is here. How the verdict bands are set is in the methodology.