Moving to a New Area? How to Check Your Future Utility's Outage History
Most people research schools, crime, and commutes before moving. Almost nobody checks electric reliability, but they should.
Why Utility Reliability Matters Before You Move
Electric utility reliability varies enormously across the US. A neighbor in a different ZIP code might have the same utility and similar reliability, or they might be served by a completely different utility with dramatically different outage history.
For remote workers, families with medical equipment, and anyone who cooks at home, utility reliability is a meaningful quality-of-life factor. Yet most real estate listings, rental apps, and relocation tools ignore it entirely.
Step 1: Find Which Utility Serves the Address
The fastest way to find which utility serves a specific address is to:
- Search by ZIP code - use PlainUtility's search to find utilities serving that ZIP
- Ask the landlord or seller - they receive the electric bills and know who the utility is
- Call the local power company - most utilities have address lookup tools on their websites
In some areas, especially rural regions, multiple utilities may serve nearby areas. Make sure you're checking the right one.
Step 2: Look Up the Utility's SAIDI
Once you know the utility name, search PlainUtility's database to find its reliability history. Key things to look for:
- 4-year SAIDI trend: Is reliability getting better or worse? A utility with SAIDI trending down is investing in infrastructure. One with SAIDI trending up may have deferred maintenance.
- SAIDI with vs. without major event days: A big gap between these means the area is storm-prone. Both matter, you'll live with all outages, not just routine ones.
- SAIFI (outage frequency): Some people find frequent brief outages more disruptive than occasional long ones. Look at both metrics.
Step 3: Compare to State Average
Context matters. A SAIDI of 200 minutes is slightly above average nationally, but if you're moving to Louisiana, where the state average is much higher, 200 might actually be excellent for the area.
Use the States page to see how your target state compares nationally, then compare the specific utility to the state average.
Step 4: Consider Utility Type
Understanding the type of utility helps set expectations:
- Investor-owned utility (IOU): Large, regulated companies. Generally invest more in infrastructure but also face state public utility commission rate oversight. Large variation within this category.
- Municipal utility: Government-owned local utility. Quality varies widely, some excellent, some underinvested.
- Electric cooperative: Member-owned nonprofits, usually serving rural areas. Structurally prone to higher outage rates due to longer line miles, but member-owned so theoretically accountable to customers.
Step 5: Ask Questions
Armed with reliability data, you can ask informed questions:
- "I see the local utility has a SAIDI of 450 minutes, is there anything I should know about power reliability in this neighborhood?"
- "Does the building have a backup generator for essential systems?"
- "Has the previous owner ever dealt with flooding from sump pump failure during outages?"
- "Is there a natural gas backup for heating?"
When High SAIDI Is Acceptable (With Mitigation)
A high-SAIDI utility doesn't have to be a deal-breaker if you mitigate the risks:
- A whole-home standby generator ($5,000-15,000 installed) eliminates most outage impacts
- A portable generator ($500-1,500) covers essentials: refrigerator, lights, phone charging
- Solar-plus-battery systems can provide outage resilience while reducing energy costs
- A gas range and gas water heater reduce dependence on electricity for essential functions
How to Use PlainUtility for Your Research
- Go to All Utilities and search by state to find utilities serving your target area
- Click through to the utility detail page to see 4-year trend data
- Compare to the state average for context
- Check national rankings to see where the utility stands among all US utilities
Five minutes of research could inform a decision that affects your daily life for years. For remote workers especially, knowing your power reliability before signing a lease is as important as knowing the internet options.
Related tools: PlainRelocate.com for comprehensive city comparison (cost of living, schools, crime, and more) · RateWatt.com for electricity prices by state
SAIDI Benchmarks for Relocation Decisions
What SAIDI Range Should You Look For?
The national median SAIDI without major events is approximately 120 minutes per year. Utilities below 100 minutes are in the top quartile and generally indicate reliable infrastructure. Anything above 300 minutes without major events suggests the utility faces significant challenges - whether from terrain, weather exposure, aging infrastructure, or underinvestment.
How to Interpret Major Event Days (MED)
EIA Form 861 reports SAIDI both with and without major event days (MED). MEDs are days when outages exceed a statistical threshold, typically caused by hurricanes, ice storms, or widespread severe weather. When comparing utilities for relocation purposes, focus on SAIDI without MED, this tells you about day-to-day reliability. A utility with 90-minute nMED SAIDI but 500-minute total SAIDI simply lives in a storm-prone area, not a badly managed one.
| SAIDI Range (no MED) | Rating | Typical For |
|---|---|---|
| Under 100 min | Excellent | Urban municipals, dense suburban IOUs |
| 100-180 min | Good | Most IOUs, well-managed cooperatives |
| 180-300 min | Average | Rural cooperatives in moderate terrain |
| 300+ min | Below average | Remote or mountainous territories |
Source: EIA Form 861 data. Ranges are approximate and based on national distributions.
