We live in an era when electrical power is mostly indispensable. Electricity touches almost every aspect of our daily lives and drives even mundane tasks.


With that dependency comes the need for reliability. In short, having a consistent flow of electricity to the home or office has become a necessity that most of us can no longer do without.


A recent survey confirms this evolution. In August, GE’s Digital Energy business released the results of a survey that shows many Americans want reliable power and are willing to pay for it.


Conducted by the Harris Poll, the Grid Resiliency Survey measured the U.S. public’s perception of the power grid. It also measured the public’s experiences and future expectations with the grid.


Of note, many said they are willing to pay an extra $10 per month to ensure a more reliable grid. An interesting geographical correlation also revealed itself in this statistic. Those living east of the Mississippi are more willing to make that extra investment than those west of the Mississippi by a margin of 41 percent to 34 percent.


Not surprisingly, the survey also found that those living east of the Mississippi experienced nearly three times as many outages in the last year than those living in the west, by a ratio of 3.1 to 1.2.


John McDonald, director of Technical Strategy and Policy Development for GE’s Digital Energy, describes the need most Americans feel for reliable power. 


“We live in an on-demand world that depends on electricity,” he said. “Our appetite for automation is so great, in fact, that millions of Americans would be willing to pay more on their utility bill to maintain their electrified lifestyles.”