Sacramento-area company wants to provide emergency energy during PG&E power shutoffs
RANCHO CORDOVA — So far this year, Pacific Gas and Electric has had at least ten days where energy was shut off in certain communities due to high fire risk.
Now, a Sacramento County company is designing a new product to provide emergency energy during public safety power shutoff.
Bob Guimarin is the CEO of Rancho Cordova-based Off The Wall Energy. His company is developing battery backup devices that activate automatically during blackouts.
"You place these around your home," he said. "It can be put on a countertop. It can be hung on a wall."
The risk of power outages is year-round in California — from winter storms that bring heavy rain, wind and snow to wildfire season when flames can damage powerlines and utilities pre-emptively shut-off electricity to reduce fire risk.
Paul Moreno with PG&E said people should have a plan in place to be prepared for blackouts.
"If you have the right setup, you can draw on that battery power to keep a good part of your home powered," Moreno said.
The Off The Wall devices don't need any special electrical wiring, so they can be used by people in apartments.
The power supply can also be charged using solar panels or small wind turbines mounted in a window or on a balcony, which can decrease monthly energy bills.
Guimarin said his product is different from existing portable rechargeable batteries because they are always plugged into a wall outlet and can be programmed to recharge during off-peak hours when electricity rates are lower.
"We're affordable energy storage," he said. 'You set us up in the wall, you plug your devices into us and then you don't think about us anymore."
The Off The Wall power supplies are still in the prototype stage, but the company says they're hoping to start selling them by next summer. Costs will range from $500 to $1,200.