Three times last month, Sarah Mitchell’s refrigerator went dark. Not from a storm—just Tuesday afternoons in suburban Denver when the grid couldn’t keep up. Her neighbor installed a generator. She’s considering the same.
This isn’t an isolated story anymore.
Power outages that once felt like rare disruptions are becoming regular occurrences across the United States. The numbers tell part of the story: the average American experienced over eight hours of power interruptions in 2023, double what it was a decade ago. But statistics don’t capture the frustration of resetting clocks, tossing spoiled groceries, or working by flashlight.
Several factors are colliding to create this new reality. Our electrical infrastructure, built largely in the 1960s and 70s, wasn’t designed for today’s demands. Air conditioning runs longer and harder as summers heat up. Electric vehicles charge overnight. Data centers multiply to handle our cloud-dependent lives. The system is being asked to do more than it was ever meant to handle.
Weather patterns have shifted too. Severe storms hit harder and more often. Heat waves stress the grid when everyone cranks up cooling simultaneously. Wildfires force utilities to shut off power preemptively—a choice between controlled outages and catastrophic blazes sparked by damaged lines.
The Real Estate Perspective
“Unfortunately, power outages are going to be the new norm,” says Bart Brockman of Keller Williams. “We’re seeing this impact property values and buyer decisions in real ways. Homes with backup generators or solar-plus-battery systems are commanding premium prices. Buyers are asking about grid reliability during showings. It’s become a major consideration in the home-buying process.”
The transition to renewable energy, while necessary, adds complexity. Solar and wind provide clean power but not always when demand peaks. Battery storage technology is improving but still can’t fill all the gaps. Managing this mix requires a more sophisticated grid than we currently have.
Utilities Caught in the Middle
Utilities are caught between competing pressures. Upgrading infrastructure costs billions—money that ultimately comes from ratepayers already struggling with rising electricity bills. Regulators want reliability but resist rate increases. Investors expect returns. Something has to give, and increasingly, it’s the power itself.
Communities are adapting in different ways. Some neighborhoods pool resources for backup systems. Others pressure local officials to prioritize grid improvements. Battery sales are booming. Whole-home generators, once considered extreme, now seem prudent.
The federal infrastructure bill allocated $65 billion for grid improvements, but experts say we need three times that amount. Meanwhile, the build-out proceeds slowly, tangled in permitting processes and local opposition to new transmission lines.
What This Means for Colorado
Colorado faces unique challenges. The state’s aggressive renewable energy targets and mandated closure of coal-fired plants create transition risks. When Xcel Energy’s Comanche units shut down and Craig Station closes in 2028, the state loses reliable baseload power. The replacements—natural gas plants with hydrogen blending capability and battery storage—are cleaner but introduce new reliability questions.
At the very moment electricity demand grows, regulators have mandated the closure of coal-fired power plants. The state’s regulatory focus isn’t on hardening the grid against wildfire and wind—it’s on electrification. Electric vehicles and trucks, electric homes and heat appliances. No more gas stoves to cook your soup when the power’s out for days.
The Path Forward
What’s clear is that the grid of tomorrow won’t look like the one we have today. It will need to be smarter, more distributed, more resilient. Whether we get there before the outages become truly intolerable remains an open question.
For now, families like the Mitchells are learning to plan around uncertainty. Charging devices stays on the mental checklist. Flashlights live in easy-to-find spots. The novelty of candlelit dinners has worn off entirely.
The lights will keep going out. The only question is how often we’re willing to accept it.