OK. It’s rant time. But, no, I have not lost power again- yet. Although, I must admit, having bought my house some 25 years ago, I have had the “opportunity” to experience a blackout- longer and more pervasive than the one that hit the Northeast when I was a young lad- enough times that I find it amazing that we consider ourselves to live in the “First World”.
I stopped counting two years ago- but up until then, I lost power more than 100 times year, with at least 10 of those experiences longer than 5 hours and 5 of them longer than several days. (We have lost power for more than 5 days in each of the last years- every year.) So, using the standard technology, the reliability factor is 93.5%- not the 99% that the utility providers want to claim- nor the 99.9% they need to provide us.
And, that does not include the thousands of dollars of food that I have lost each year. Because I keep kosher, and the nearest full-service butcher is about an hour away, I stock up, buying $ 400 to $ 600 of meat each time I restock. And, my fridge is generally filled with at least a hundred dollars of perishables at any given time. Lose power for 5 minutes- not a big deal. Lose power for an hour- I’m generally OK. Lose power for several hours in the summer- now, it gets pricey. Lose power for days- any time of the year- and you need to restock.
I know- I live on a street called “Timber Branch”. That should tell you it’s a tree-lined street. And, the utility power company’s answer is to cut down all the trees. Like that’s an answer. (By the way, when they cut down MY trees- with no notice- that is a bill we all pay, since they pass it along as either general maintenance, or a special assessment.)
And, if you want to try to find out how much money these utilities spend each year repairing downed power lines- good luck. The utility commissions make finding that data really difficult. On purpose. Every time there is a major power outage due to line failure, crews need to come in (on an emergency basis), repair the lines, and clean up the mess. In the meantime, you are without power. That cost is passed along to you as maintenance fees or “transmission” costs.
There is no incentive for the power companies to do a better job, since they are guaranteed a return on those “maintenance” costs. Yup. Dependent upon where you live, they make between 5 and 10 cents for every dollar in maintenance costs they have. Which means that their stockholders get a return on the power company’s failure to STOP the problem from occurring in the first place.
Now, I know the power companies will try to scare the …. out of you by saying that it can cost as much as $ 2 million per mile to bury the power lines, thereby precluding these problems from occurring in the first place. But, the cost can be as low as $ 200,000 per mile, as well- depending upon there you are. Yes, that is more expensive than a new overhead line, where the costs can be as low as $ 50,000 per mile. (Realistically, in urban settings you can assume it’s $ 1KK for each mile of a new overhead line and $ 4 KK to bury it- but if you lose your lines three or four times a year [like we do]- those costs are actually higher- because there is an emergency crew on overtime handling that repair, as well.)
But, that’s NOT the reason why the power companies don’t want to bury the lines. You see, burying the lines is a capital cost. That means it takes 10 to 20 years for the power company to get their full return on those costs. Their stockholders have to cover the initial costs, which puts pressure on the dividends the power utilities offer. So, it’s better for the power companies to have the line fail, for you to lose power and money (business don’t operate and your food goes bad), since that makes the utility a guaranteed profit.
Maybe, it’s time for you to go visit your local “fathers” and have them demand the lines be buried. Because your costs matter- a lot. Make sure they understand that your costs need to be considered as much as the power company’s stockholders- because you are the local voter.
For Pete’s sake! Sometimes you wonder if the people who make the decisions have any common sense at all or just want to cover their backsides.
The local government is often afraid to take on the big power companies- because they have more resources and usually in bed with the state regulatory agencies, which should also be among those demanding the burying of the lines.
Think of what is going on with those big banks and their leaning on the government to stop their shenanigans with derivatives, Amy…
For as long as I can remember (yes even when I was very young) it never made sense that we didn’t have our important lines dangling in the breeze. I think if I were you I’d invest in a generator, perhaps even a solar powered generator with battery back up. It would probably pay for itself in meat costs. I knew someone who did that, and it generated enough that not only did they not have a bill, they received a check from the utility because it fed it into the grid. Now, that is hearsay because I didn’t witness the check myself, but when I get my roof done (hopefully this year) I planned on getting solar panels with battery back up because like you…I dislike throwing away good food.
Solar generators don’t work around here, Lisa. (I am not sure that solar generators for off-grid usage work anywhere, since the big issue is that you will need the power when the weather is bad- and that usually means diminished solar irradiation.) But, I did finally break down and buy a generator, because I got tired of the BS promises made to bury the lines. Call me slow- it’s been 25 years!
I have been saying this for years, in my area. Now I know.
It’s different if you live in a place like FL or LA where the water tables are high.
Yes, Elise, you are absolutely correct. And, that’s from where the high priced quotes derive- and are then used to scare the rest of the world…
Uh. Too bad they’re not a service one could boycott. Meanwhile do you have a generator for the shorter outages? Losing that meat would make me furious.
Yes, I finally broke down and bought a generator, after last year’s July 4th (the 29th to the 5th) fiasco, Alessa. But, it’s just big enough to power the fridge, one AC, and a lamp.
Our lines are buried and we still have had power outages. When I lived in South Texas, the lines were above. I had a friend who kept the lines cleared, but when we had a direct hit from a hurricane, our side of the street had no electricity and my neighbor on the other did. We were in the dark for 3 days. It sucks indeed.
While I am not sure exactly where you live, Ann, I would venture to say that the costs to bury your lines would be pretty low- and you, too, have pretty extreme weather…
I know what you mean, Roy. In fact, my lights are flickering as I type this. I was also going to suggest a generator, but I see from previous comments that you do have one. We don’t. Can’t convince my hubby to get one. It’s tough because when the power goes in the summer, the food goes bad, but here it usually goes out in the winter due to ice storms, so we can salvage the food by putting it outside, but we are freezing!
The good thing for me is I like the cold, Suerae- but can’t tolerate temperatures much above 60.
You can get a generator that will work the fridge/freezer, a room a/c or space heater, and a lamp for under $ 650. (they actually can power more than that, but this keeps the system in perfect working order.) As long as you remember to run it for at least 5 minutes every month or so, you should be safe for years. (Of course, if you can’t get fuel…)
RT @RAAckerman: It’s way past time to bury these items: http://t.co/3P6DAPxLKx #in #blogboost #blogtribe #tlcclub #utility #powerlines
A good rant! The lines are buried in London, which is great. that said, power companies have a tendency to have a ‘selective memory’. They forget what it costs YOU when they fail. Convenient!
They don’t care what it costs you, Muriel- because it doesn’t cost them! those repairs are considered O&M and are repaid by the consumers- you and me- right away. No hit to their stockholders, no hit to their bonuses (since they make a profit on each dollar they spend on O&M- so it actually costs us MORE than it costs them). What a convenient system to rip off the public.