Georgetown runs on 100% renewable energy. It still can't run when ERCOT can't.
Median Home
$400K
Median Income
$95K+
Home Sizes
1,800–4,000 sq ft
ZIP
78626 / 78628 / 78633
Georgetown has something no other Texas city can claim: a municipal utility running on 100% renewable energy. Georgetown Utility Systems (GUS) buys all its electricity from wind and solar contracts. It's a remarkable achievement. But here's the part the city's marketing doesn't emphasize: GUS still depends on ERCOT's transmission grid to deliver that power to your house. When ERCOT fails—as it did catastrophically during Winter Storm Uri—Georgetown goes dark just like everyone else.
That matters especially in Sun City, the massive Del Webb 55+ community that's become Georgetown's most recognizable neighborhood. Over 9,500 homes housing retirees who depend on medical equipment, consistent climate control, and reliable power for daily life. When Uri hit in 2021, Sun City residents with CPAP machines, oxygen concentrators, and powered mobility aids faced genuine health crises. For this demographic, backup power isn't a luxury. It's a medical necessity.
Beyond Sun City, Georgetown's historic downtown square—voted 'Most Beautiful Town Square in Texas'—anchors a growing family market in newer master-planned communities. Georgetown ISD is solid. The commute to Round Rock's tech corridor is reasonable. And median home values around $400K make Georgetown one of the more accessible affluent communities in the Austin metro. The mix of retirees needing medical-grade reliability and families needing work-from-home stability makes Georgetown's backup power market uniquely urgent.
What's at stake during an outage:
Sun City retirees: medical equipment (CPAP, oxygen concentrators, powered chairs), consistent AC in Texas heat, refrigeration for medications, security systems, and the peace of mind that comes from knowing the power won't quit at 2am. Family communities: home offices, smart home systems, pool equipment, and the full suburban lifestyle that stops working when the grid stops working.
What's popular in Georgetown: Generators are the clear choice in Georgetown, especially in Sun City. Retirees want simplicity, reliability, and indefinite runtime. A natural gas standby generator turns on automatically and runs until the power comes back—no monitoring, no app-checking, no battery level anxiety. For family neighborhoods, the split between generators and batteries is more even, with hybrid systems growing.
Williamson County • Georgetown ISD
Georgetown homes range from 1,800 to 4,000 square feet. Sun City homes (typically 1,800–2,800 sq ft) need a 14–20kW generator or 1–2 battery units. Larger family homes (3,000–4,000 sq ft) need 20–22kW generators or 2–3 batteries. For Sun City residents with medical equipment, ensure your system is sized to handle the startup surge of medical devices and that the transfer switch activates within seconds.
Georgetown's more modest home values mean backup power investments are typically $10,000 to $20,000—making it one of the most accessible markets in the Austin metro. For Sun City homeowners, it's a straightforward investment in health and safety. Georgetown Utility Systems' 100% renewable energy is admirable, but it won't help when ERCOT's transmission grid goes down.
No. Georgetown Utility Systems (GUS) sources 100% renewable energy through wind and solar contracts—but that power still travels through ERCOT's transmission grid. When ERCOT fails (as during Winter Storm Uri), Georgetown loses power just like every other Texas city. Your home's backup power system is independent of both GUS and ERCOT, providing true energy security.
A standby generator for a typical Sun City home (1,800–2,800 sq ft) runs $7,500 to $14,000 installed. Most Sun City homes need a 14–18kW unit on natural gas. Installation in Sun City is generally straightforward—the homes have accessible electrical panels and adequate clearance for generator placement. Sun City's HOA has standard guidelines for generator screening.
For homes relying on medical equipment (CPAP, oxygen concentrators, powered mobility), a standby generator provides the most reliable protection. It starts automatically within 10–30 seconds of a power loss and runs indefinitely on natural gas. Battery systems also work but have limited runtime. For critical medical needs, a hybrid system provides instant battery switchover (no gap in power) plus generator endurance for extended outages.
Yes. Georgetown requires building and electrical permits for generator installations. Georgetown Utility Systems manages interconnection for battery and solar systems. Sun City's HOA has architectural guidelines for generator placement and screening. Your installer should handle all permitting and HOA coordination. Georgetown's building department is experienced with backup power projects.
Georgetown experiences the same ERCOT grid vulnerabilities as the rest of Texas. Winter Storm Uri (2021) caused multi-day outages. The 2023 ice storms disrupted service across Williamson County. Despite GUS's renewable energy sourcing, transmission failures affect Georgetown equally. ERCOT's winter reserve margins remain below the 15% safety target, meaning cold-weather outage risk persists.
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