If we're going to the effort of having dual-service to each home, we could have the "essentials" service of 500W or something that we'd try to make very reliabl

If we're going to the effort of having dual-service to each home, we could have the "essentials" service of 500W or something that we'd try to make very reliable, to operate the fridge, medical equipment, communications, or whatever the residents deemed essential. Then the other, regular service could still have whatever capacity was already there, but would be subject to intermittent blackouts as necessary to keep everyone's essentials on. This would require some additional infrastructure, but might be worth it if the blackouts are going to be too frequent.