Eight days. That’s how long some Kirkland homeowners waited for power to return after the November 2024 bomb cyclone tore through the Pacific Northwest, knocking out electricity for more than 400,000 Puget Sound Energy customers at its peak. More than 600,000 across the region lost power over the course of the storm. PSE crews responded to hundreds of damage points and more than 400 miles of downed lines before restoration was complete. If your household was among those affected, you already know that “grab some candles and wait it out” isn’t a real plan.
We’ve been handling electrical work for Kirkland homes since 2012, and every fall storm season brings the same pattern: homeowners who wish they’d acted sooner. The window before the next storm season is the right time to get this right. What follows is a straightforward look at what genuine preparedness requires here, in this region, for outages that can stretch well past a long weekend.
Why Kirkland Homeowners Face a Different Risk Than Most
Generic emergency preparedness guides target a 72-hour outage window. The City of Kirkland’s own Office of Emergency Management recommends preparing for up to two weeks without power. That gap isn’t arbitrary. It reflects what PSE outage data and local conditions actually show.
PSE meteorologists have confirmed that Pacific Northwest soils become heavily saturated during storm season, which dramatically increases the risk of trees falling across both overhead lines and underground infrastructure. A single windstorm can damage dozens of miles of line in multiple locations simultaneously, meaning restoration isn’t a matter of fixing one break and moving on. It’s a region-wide logistics challenge, and Kirkland was named specifically in PSE restoration updates throughout the November 2024 event. Planning for three days in this environment is planning to be underprepared.
Portable vs. Standby: Choosing the Right Generator for Your Home
Most homeowners considering backup power default to a portable generator because the upfront cost is lower and the unit is available at any hardware store. That comparison makes sense in the store. It gets more complicated during an eight-day outage in November.
Portable Generators
A portable generator requires manual setup each time it’s used. It runs on gasoline, which means you need stored fuel on hand before the outage starts. Gas stations lose power too. It produces carbon monoxide, so it can never run inside a garage or near any opening in the home’s envelope. And without a proper transfer switch installed by a licensed electrician, it can’t connect to your home’s wiring at all. You’re running extension cords to the appliances you care most about, managing fuel every several hours, and manually restarting the unit after it runs dry.
Standby Generators
A permanently installed standby generator runs on natural gas or propane from an existing supply line. When utility power drops, an automatic transfer switch detects the outage and starts the unit within seconds, without anyone touching anything. Because the exhaust system is engineered into the installation, carbon monoxide and backfeeding risks are addressed at the design level rather than managed manually each time. The tradeoff is a higher upfront cost and a professional installation process. For multi-day outages, the operational difference is significant.
Getting the Size Right
Neither type of generator is useful if it’s sized incorrectly. Calculating the right wattage requires accounting for both running watts (what each appliance draws at steady state) and starting watts (the surge required to start motors in refrigerators, HVAC systems, and well pumps). An undersized unit will trip its own breaker or damage connected equipment. A proper assessment of which circuits need protection is part of what we do during generator installation consultations.
The Safety Rules That Apply No Matter Which Generator You Choose
Carbon monoxide poisoning is the most critical concern with portable units. The rule is a minimum of 20 feet from the home, with exhaust directed away from windows and doors. Battery-backup carbon monoxide detectors on every floor aren’t optional. Airflow patterns can still route exhaust toward attic vents and window openings even when the generator appears to be positioned safely.
Backfeeding is less well understood but equally dangerous. Plugging a generator into a wall outlet sends live electricity back through the meter and onto utility lines, creating an electrocution risk for PSE line crews working to restore power nearby. A properly installed transfer switch is the only safe way to connect a generator to your home’s electrical system. This isn’t something you can improvise around.
For gasoline-fueled units, fuel stored longer than 30 days degrades and may not ignite reliably. A stabilizer additive extends usable storage life, but all fuel still needs to be stored in approved containers outside the living space.
What Professional Generator Installation Actually Involves
Buying a standby generator is the first step. Getting it installed correctly is where the details matter.
A licensed electrician connects the unit to the home’s electrical panel via an automatic transfer switch, which handles the seamless handoff between utility power and generator power. That work requires coordination with PSE and compliance with King County permit and inspection requirements. The permit process isn’t a formality. It’s what verifies the installation meets code and protects your home’s insurability.
Placement is governed by local building codes that specify minimum distances from windows, doors, vents, and property lines. Where a unit can legally sit on your property isn’t always where it looks most convenient, and that determination needs to happen before equipment is ordered.
We’ve been doing this work in Kirkland since 2012. Our team is fully licensed, insured, and BBB accredited, and our Eaton-certified contractor status reflects specific training on transfer switch and panel integration. We don’t recommend equipment that isn’t appropriate for a given home, and we don’t upsell work that isn’t needed.
Before the Next Storm: A Practical Preparation Checklist
Whatever backup power solution you choose, these steps are worth taking before storm season arrives rather than after the outage starts.
- Sign up for PSE outage alerts. You can report outages and track restoration timelines via pse.com, the PSE app, or by calling 1-888-225-5773. Real-time visibility into restoration estimates matters when you’re making decisions about food, medications, and where to stay.
- Stock a two-week supply. Nonperishable food, water, and essential medications should cover at least 14 days, consistent with the City of Kirkland’s own guidance. Keep your vehicle fuel above half full so you’re not dependent on a gas station that’s also without power.
- Install battery-backup CO detectors on every floor. Standard plug-in detectors go offline with the power. Battery-backup units stay active throughout an outage, when portable generator use is most likely.
- Test existing equipment before the season starts. If you already own a generator, run it under load at least once before fall to confirm it starts and handles the draw you expect. Discovering a fuel issue or mechanical problem during a storm is worse than discovering it in September.
- Schedule a consultation if installation has been on the back burner. Pre-storm season is when we have the most flexibility in scheduling. Waiting until after a major wind event means waiting in a long line.
Storm preparedness in the Pacific Northwest is a before-the-outage project, not a during-the-outage one. By the time the lights go out, your options are whatever you’ve already arranged. If you’re ready to move forward with a backup power solution, AMS Electric, Heating & Cooling offers free estimates, financing options, and same-day availability. Call us at (425) 537-4575 and we’ll help you figure out what your home actually needs.