Sunrun survey finds two-thirds of U.S. homeowners experienced a power outage in 2026, with most expecting the problem to worsen
Two-thirds of American homeowners reported at least one power outage so far in 2026, according to a new survey of 2,000 homeowners conducted by Talker Research on behalf of solar and home battery company Sunrun. Released September 17, 2026, the findings also show that 59% of respondents are worried outages will become more common in their area.
Survey scope and top-line findings
Talker Research polled 2,000 U.S. homeowners online between August 18 and 24, 2026, commissioned by Sunrun. The sample focused exclusively on homeowners with internet access. Results dropped September 17 to coincide with National Preparedness Month.
Sixty-six percent said they experienced at least one outage in 2026. That’s not a minor headache for a small group — it’s a majority-level disruption playing out across the country.
provider of home battery storage and solar systems, serving more than 1.2 million customers nationwide, and markets battery-plus-solar packages with no upfront cost.
For households that did lose power, it usually happened more than once. The average affected home experienced three separate outages during the year. The most recent lasted an average of 5.5 hours, though some homeowners reported going without electricity for multiple days.
The psychological toll shows up in the data too. Nearly three-quarters of those who experienced an outage said they’re worried about losing power again within the next year — a sign these events leave a mark well beyond the blackout itself.
Why homeowners expect outages to increase
The survey didn’t just capture what happened — it captured what people expect next. Sixty-five percent believe outages will occur at the same rate or more frequently going forward, while only 16% think they’ll become less common.
One concern stood out sharply: data centers. Seventy-five percent of homeowners said they worry that the growing number of U.S. data centers could contribute to future outages — a notable level of awareness about an infrastructure issue that rarely makes front-page news.
Confidence in the grid itself is low. Only 38% said they’re confident their local grid can reliably meet rising electricity demand from data centers, leaving nearly two-thirds skeptical or outright doubtful. Weather remains the most-cited threat to local reliability, with severe storms, winter weather, and extreme heat together accounting for more than half of all respondents’ concerns.
Consequences reported by affected households
The disruptions go well beyond sitting in the dark. Among homeowners who experienced an outage, 57% lost heating or cooling — a serious problem depending on the season and region. Food spoilage hit 48%. Another 44% lost internet or cell service, cutting off both communication and remote work.
Nearly one-third of affected homeowners — 32% — sought shelter at another household that still had power. That’s a significant logistical response, and it suggests many homes simply weren’t equipped to stay functional during an extended blackout.
The stakes were higher for some. Twenty-eight percent of all homeowners surveyed said someone in their home relies on electricity for a health-related need. Among those households, the most common dependencies included refrigerated prescription medications like insulin (39%), CPAP machines (36%), oxygen equipment (30%), and medical monitoring devices like glucose monitors (29%). For those families, a power outage isn’t an inconvenience — it’s a potential medical emergency.
Homeowner preparedness gaps and preferred solutions
Despite the frequency of outages and the anxiety they generate, many homeowners admit they’re not ready for the next one. On average, respondents rated their household’s preparedness at 6.6 out of 10 — a middling score that suggests more confidence than the follow-up data actually supports.
Nearly half — 47% — said a past outage served as a “reality check” that revealed just how unprepared they actually were. That gap between perceived and actual readiness is a recurring theme in emergency preparedness research. Some households did take action: among those who experienced an outage, 48% said they made at least one change to prepare for the next blackout.
Still, the survey points to a clear preference for what kind of change matters most. Forty-seven percent identified a backup power source as the single improvement most likely to make them feel prepared — leading the next closest option by 18 percentage points. That’s not just a popular answer; it’s the dominant priority by a wide margin.
Context: Aging grid, rising demand, and industry response
The survey’s release during National Preparedness Month — themed “Americans Stand Ready” — wasn’t coincidental. Sunrun timed the findings to align with a federal awareness campaign focused on household resilience, giving the data a broader platform.
Sunrun has a direct commercial interest in these findings. The company is the largest U.S. provider of home battery storage and solar systems, serving more than 1.2 million customers nationwide, and markets battery-plus-solar packages with no upfront cost. Beyond individual households, Sunrun also runs distributed power plant programs where customers can opt in to share stored energy back to the grid during peak demand and get compensated for doing so — framed by the company as a community-level benefit that reduces strain for all local residents, not just its own customers.
Data center growth and extreme weather
The Sunrun-commissioned survey points to a consistent picture: power outages are common, disruptive, and widely expected to continue. Two-thirds of U.S. homeowners experienced at least one in 2026, averaging three outages per affected household. Most expect the problem to persist or worsen, with data center growth and extreme weather as the leading concerns.
Real-world consequences ranged from lost heating and spoiled food to disrupted medical care for more than a quarter of households. Preparedness remains uneven — many homeowners admit past outages exposed gaps they hadn’t anticipated. Backup power emerged as the clear top priority for those looking to improve their resilience.
The survey was sponsored by a company that sells exactly that product, which is worth keeping in mind when weighing the emphasis on home battery solutions. Even so, the underlying concern about grid reliability reflects a broader national conversation about aging infrastructure and rising electricity demand.
Kelly is an experienced writer with 15 years of experience exploring the big stories that shape our world, from tech breakthroughs and space exploration to climate, energy, and the fascinating quirks of science. She has a talent for turning complex ideas into sharp, memorable insights that stay with readers long after they’ve finished reading.
