Hurricane Polo Flooded the Southwest and Cut Power: Why White Mountains Homes Are Buying Solar Kits Before Winter
Hurricane Polo Flooded the Southwest and Knocked Out Power. Is Your Home Ready for Winter?
Hurricane Polo hit Baja California with 110 mph winds, then its remnants rolled northeast into Arizona and New Mexico. Flash floods forced water rescues in Arizona. In southern New Mexico, families in Hatch, Rincon, Salem, and Garfield were told to head for higher ground over dam concerns.
The lights went out too. About 18,000 El Paso Electric customers lost power on Monday, September 28. On Thursday, October 1, more than 7,500 Oncor customers around Dallas-Fort Worth went dark and over 200 flights were canceled. Texas grid operators said the big transmission system held up fine. The failures were local lines and local equipment. That is exactly how most home outages happen.
Rooftop solar panels on a White Mountains home. Your own power does not depend on a neighborhood line staying up.
Indiana Lawmakers Want Answers After Two Weeks Without Power
On September 29, Indiana lawmakers held a hearing on the August derecho outage that left hundreds of thousands of NIPSCO customers dark, some for more than two weeks. One lawmaker said trees were still in the lines. Another pointed out that the fine for poor tree trimming that causes a blackout is $1 million a day. The utility will answer questions. Families still lived without power in the meantime. Waiting on the utility is not a plan.
Electric Rates Keep Climbing, and Arizona Is Next in Line
In Rhode Island, the winter supply rate took effect October 1 at 17.3 cents per kWh, adding about $31 a month for an average home. That is one state, but the pressure is national. The U.S. Energy Information Administration expects record electricity use of 4,135 billion kWh this year and 4,211 billion in 2027.
Closer to home, the APS rate case is headed for a decision. APS asked for about a 14 percent residential increase. Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes filed expert testimony arguing 3 percent would do, saving the average household about $220 a year. The judge's recommendation is due in late November, the Commission votes by December 31, and new rates are expected in early 2027. No homeowner controls that outcome. Your own solar panels are the one part of your bill you can lock in.
Why White Mountains Homes Feel Winter Outages First
Show Low, Snowflake-Taylor, Pinetop-Lakeside, Concho, Saint Johns, Vernon, White Mountain Lakes, and Shumway sit at the end of the line. Winter ice and snow load can take down a pole or a branch, and crews reach rural roads last. Most homes here run on private wells, so no power means no water. Add heat, a freezer full of food, and a home office, and a few hours without power gets serious fast.
Solar Kits, Solar Panels, and Local Installs From White Mountains Solar
Winter makes roof and yard work harder, so the best time to plan a system is before the cold arrives. Our solar kits are pre-built, pre-programmed, pre-assembled, and tested in our Show Low shop before they leave. They arrive ready to run. DIY customers only connect the panels and batteries to the unit. Pick the size that fits your home and budget:
Starter kits that keep the well pump, fridge, lights, and internet running through an outage.
The 6kW EG4 full kit with 4 lithium batteries and 16 panels.
12kW expandable kits that run most of a home and grow as you add batteries and panels.
24kW whole-property systems for large homes, shops, and guest houses.
New panels on a shingle roof. We also sell used solar panels for a lower-cost way to add capacity.
Hybrid Inverters, Batteries, and Panels, All in One Place
Technical DIY builders can buy hybrid inverters and lithium batteries on their own, and we stock both new and used solar panels. Everything you need to build or expand a system is in one shop, with a team that can answer questions by phone.
Hybrid inverters and breakers wired and tested. The whole system switches over on its own when the grid drops.
Local Solar Installation You Can Count On Every Year
White Mountains Solar has sold and installed solar kits from Show Low since 2009. Rather not DIY? Our crew handles sizing, installation, and connection from start to finish. We stay with you after install day with panel cleaning, battery and inverter checkups, and warranty service. No-money-down financing is available.
A ground-mount array beside a rural home. We size it, build it, install it, and keep it running.
Serving the Whole White Mountains Region
Show Low, AZ
Snowflake-Taylor, AZ
Pinetop-Lakeside, AZ
Concho, AZ
Saint Johns, AZ
Vernon, AZ
White Mountain Lakes, AZ
Shumway, AZ
Do Not Wait for Winter to Find Out Your Line Is the Weak Link
Polo's storms, Indiana's two-week blackout, and the next APS rate decision all point to the same answer. Send us a message with your address and your average APS bill, and we will recommend the right solar kit, solar panels, or full local installation for your home. Or call 928-251-0114 and talk to a real person in Show Low.
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