Traditionally, severe winter storms lead to thousands of people spending days without electricity, while hundreds of thousands more use it non-stop and use more of it. This kind of demand puts huge amounts of pressure on existing power grids around Boston and New England.
During winter storms NSTAR, WMECO, PSNH, Unitil, NHEC, and other smaller electric companies experience very high demand for power right. Restoring power and repairing down power lines caused by heavy snow and ice is just one issue facing electric utilities all winter long.
There are actually a multiple issues in the winter when it comes to supplying power. A high demand for power, and extreme cold, stresses power equipment and can often cause additional power outages. When downed electric lines need repairs during storms, re-energizing a power line that's been out of service needs to be brought back on-line in sections, because of the extreme cold. That means power needs to be restored gradually. Often it can then fail again because of the temperatures.
For these scenarios, when power lines need emergency storm response, power companies around New England enlist the services of ElecComm, an electrical line contracting company in Massachusetts.
Power companies are not asking homeowners or business owner to cut back on power during the cold temperatures of a New England winter. However, being conservative back when possible is beneficial.
Adding to extreme demand on the power grid is the widespread nature of this arctic blast. It's not just local, it's regional.
For more information on electric line storm response, contact ElecComm.
