Teamwork: Breaker shut off can help us restore power

Recipe

Tideland EMC members can play an important role in power restoration after an extended or widespread outage.

When an extended power outage occurs, it’s a good idea to turn off all household circuit breakers except one you use for indoor lighting. Once power has been restored, wait 15 minutes and then begin to turn breakers back on one at a time. This can help prevent overloads on utility distribution equipment when power is first restored. This is particularly important when outdoor temperatures are extremely cold or hot.

What's the reasoning behind this?

The longer power has been off the more difficult it can be for electric utilities to restore power. This is referred to as cold load pickup because the power supply has been unavailable for a period of time so that the load has reached a “cold” state before being re-energized. That means the demand for power will be much greater at the time of power restoration than when the power went off because every refrigerator, HVAC system and water heater could be requiring power simultaneously when power is restored. That could overload circuits and even individual transformers and delay power restoration. Without your help through breaker shut off, crews would have to heat up smaller sections of the electric system at a time before moving on to the next section. 

Post search