Pacific Gas & Electric Co., CA
Pacific Gas & Electric Co.'s outage record
Pacific Gas & Electric Co. customers in California had 1.6 interruptions last year, 4.5 hours without power in total - above the typical US utility's outage time by about 1.6×. That is 21% less outage time than the California state average of 5.8 hours a year.
How long a single Pacific Gas & Electric Co. outage runs
A typical outage here runs about 2.8 hours - long enough that a battery alone usually will not see you through, but short enough that a fuel-powered portable generator is a reasonable match. The frequency-versus-duration guide covers why length decides the kind of backup.
What this means for buying a generator
Serving 5,633,083 customers here, Given how often Pacific Gas & Electric Co. goes out, you should consider a backup generator rather than treat it as optional.
How Pacific Gas & Electric Co.'s record was measured
These figures come from EIA Form 861, the reliability report an investor-owned utility like Pacific Gas & Electric Co. files with federal regulators every year - serving 5,633,083 customers hereaveraged across the whole territory, not any one address or storm. Want the California average instead of just this one utility? California's statewide record is here. Storm days are counted in - here is why.