Where I live, the quietest times used to be in the winter when the electricity went out, usually because of snow-laden tree branches breaking the power lines. When the power is out, the house is extremely quiet, and outside everything would be very quiet and very dark. Then the neighbor across the road got one of those whole-house generators. So when the power goes out now, it immediately kicks on and makes noise until the electricity comes back on. Very annoying. But I'm sure they enjoy the convenience it provides.