KIUC Linemen All Geared Up - Kauai Island Utility Cooperative
KIUC Linemen All Geared Up - Kauai Island Utility Cooperative KIUC Linemen All Geared Up - Kauai Island Utility Cooperative
30 KIUC CURRENTS By Anne Barnes Call Before You Dig Avoid tree and utility conflicts to keep your family safe and ensure reliable electric service to your home The same trees that beautify your landscape and provide shade for your home can be responsible for serious danger to your family, and a potential problem with your family’s electrical service. Trees growing too close to electric lines are the primary cause of momentary short circuits and flickering lights. In the case of a storm, the limbs on those trees are likely to knock power lines out completely and create a threat to your safety. Overhead Lines Create a plan before you plant Overhead utility lines are the easiest to see and probably the ones we take most for granted. Although these lines look harmless enough, they can be extremely dangerous. Planting tallgrowing trees under and near these lines eventually requires KIUC to prune them to maintain safe clearance from the wires. This pruning may result in the tree having an unnatural appearance. Periodic pruning also can lead to a shortened life span for the tree. Trees that must be pruned away from power lines are under greater stress and are more susceptible to insects and disease. Small, immature trees planted today can become problem trees in the future. Tallgrowing trees near overhead lines can cause service interruptions when trees contact wires. Children or adults climbing in these trees can be severely injured or even killed if they come in contact with the wires. Proper selection and placement of trees in and around overhead utilities can eliminate potential public safety hazards, reduce expenses for utilities and their members, and improve the appearance of landscapes. Underground Lines Call Before You Dig! Trees are much more than just what you see overhead. Many times, the root area is larger than the branch spread above ground. Much of the utility service provided today runs below ground. Tree roots and underground lines often coexist without problems. However, trees planted near underground lines could have their roots damaged if the lines need to be dug up for repairs. The biggest danger to underground lines occurs during planting. Before you plant, make sure you are aware of the location of any underground utilities. To be certain you do not accidentally dig into any lines and risk serious injury or a costly service interruption, call Hawai‘i One Call Center tollfree at 1.866.423.7287 at least five days before you dig. Never assume these utility lines are buried deeper than you plan to dig. In some cases, utility lines are very close to the surface. Safer is Smarter To protect your family, your property and your power service, homeowners should keep trees trimmed away from power lines. If you have questions, contact KIUC at 246.4300. Remember … call before you dig!
Photos courtesy of NRECA and Cooperative.com No matter where Americans choose to live today, most can get electric service—and at a price close to the cost of providing it to them. But that wasn’t always the case. Prior to 1935, life in rural America generally started at sunrise and ended at sunset. That’s because nine out of 10 rural homes had no electric service. While it was technically possible to deliver electricity to rural areas, it was not deemed necessary or economically feasible by the investorowned utilities (IOUs) of that day. The bottom line is that it was not profitable to the power companies to extend service to sparsely populated country homes. Rural residents close to a power company’s line were required to pay the full cost of connecting their homes to the system. In many cases, that fee was nearly twice the annual farm income. By Pam Blair Electrifying Rural America Once that initial investment was made, rural consumers discovered they would have to pay 10 to 12 cents a kilowatthour—double the rate for urban customers. In some cases, the charge was as high as 40 cents per kWh. Given such exorbitant prices, the IOUs ensured rural America remained in the dark. President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s rural electrification program changed that, transforming the country through federal lowinterest Rural Electrification Administration (REA) loans designed to electrify all of America. But electrifying the country wasn’t easy. For years, power companies ignored all but a few heavily populated, easytoreach and economically well off rural areas. That assured them of maximizing their profits. Ironically, even with access to federal money, most IOUs still weren’t interested in extending service to rural areas. OCTOBER 2011 31
- Page 1 and 2: 3-Time Award-Winning KIUC Linemen A
- Page 3 and 4: Table of Contents How Come My Compu
- Page 5 and 6: For this issue of “A Pictures Wor
- Page 7 and 8: Food Mart, Kapa‘a Shell, Lawai Me
- Page 9 and 10: APPLIANCE ESTIMATED ENERGY USE ESTI
- Page 11 and 12: The data from new digital meters he
- Page 13 and 14: Will I lose electrical service duri
- Page 15 and 16: 38201829 ||||||||||||| |||||| |||||
- Page 17 and 18: Connect With Care. ■ When in doub
- Page 19 and 20: Facebook: A network of personal and
- Page 21 and 22: Walk on sidewalks, not in the stree
- Page 23 and 24: By Anne Barnes KIUC IN THE COMMUNIT
- Page 25 and 26: The Qualifying Member Appliance Rep
- Page 27 and 28: By Shelley Paik What the Well-Dress
- Page 29: Photo by Maile Moriguchi We all wan
- Page 33 and 34: To perform their mission, electric
- Page 35 and 36: Marie Morin embraced her new job as
- Page 37 and 38: State law requires KIUC to maintain
- Page 39 and 40: Short Ribs 3 pounds short ribs Salt
- Page 41 and 42: Recovery Act (ARRA) for smart grid
- Page 43 and 44: Directors are the connection betwee
- Page 45 and 46: Board Actions for July and August 2
- Page 47 and 48: Call it Cost-effective Economical P
- Page 49 and 50: showing “ON” and “OFF” posi
- Page 51 and 52: On July 29, 2011, David Bissell, pr
- Page 53 and 54: Where Your Electric Dollar Goes Mos
- Page 55 and 56: Request for Patronage Capital Refun
- Page 57 and 58: MILLIKEN, STEPHEN P MINDORO, BEBINC
- Page 59 and 60: MONIZ, JOHN MONTEMAYOR, J G MOORE,
- Page 61 and 62: LEWIS, SAMANTHA LIN, GUANG LOMONGO,
- Page 63 and 64: FULTON JR, RONALD FUNG, DEBRA A GAB
- Page 65 and 66: WALCZUK, ANTHONY J WALKER, GEORGE W
- Page 67 and 68: KINOSHITA, MICHIE KISHI, TATSU KITC
- Page 69 and 70: CALHOUN, SAMUEL CALLAHAN, SABRINA C
- Page 71 and 72: Simple Pleasures “Everybody chase
30 <strong>KIUC</strong> CURRENTS<br />
By Anne Barnes<br />
Call Before You Dig<br />
Avoid tree and utility conflicts<br />
to keep your family safe<br />
and ensure reliable electric<br />
service to your home<br />
The same trees that beautify your landscape and<br />
provide shade for your home can be responsible for<br />
serious danger to your family, and a potential<br />
problem with your family’s electrical service. Trees<br />
growing too close to electric lines are the primary<br />
cause of momentary short circuits and flickering<br />
lights. In the case of a storm, the limbs on those<br />
trees are likely to knock power lines out completely<br />
and create a threat to your safety.<br />
Overhead Lines<br />
Create a plan before you plant<br />
Overhead utility lines are the easiest to see and<br />
probably the ones we take most for granted.<br />
Although these lines look harmless enough, they<br />
can be extremely dangerous.<br />
Planting tallgrowing trees under and near these<br />
lines eventually requires <strong>KIUC</strong> to prune them to<br />
maintain safe clearance from the wires. This pruning<br />
may result in the tree having an unnatural<br />
appearance. Periodic pruning also can lead to a<br />
shortened life span for the tree.<br />
Trees that must be pruned away from power<br />
lines are under greater stress and are more<br />
susceptible to insects and disease. Small,<br />
immature trees planted today can become<br />
problem trees in the future. Tallgrowing trees<br />
near overhead lines can cause service<br />
interruptions when trees contact wires. Children<br />
or adults climbing in these trees can be severely<br />
injured or even killed if they come in contact with<br />
the wires.<br />
Proper selection and placement of trees in and<br />
around overhead utilities can eliminate potential<br />
public safety hazards, reduce expenses for utilities<br />
and their members, and improve the appearance<br />
of landscapes.<br />
Underground Lines<br />
Call Before You Dig!<br />
Trees are much more than just what you see<br />
overhead. Many times, the root area is larger than<br />
the branch spread above ground.<br />
Much of the utility service provided today runs<br />
below ground. Tree roots and underground lines<br />
often coexist without problems. However, trees<br />
planted near underground lines could have their<br />
roots damaged if the lines need to be dug up for<br />
repairs.<br />
The biggest danger to underground lines occurs<br />
during planting. Before you plant, make sure you<br />
are aware of the location of any underground<br />
utilities. To be certain you do not accidentally dig<br />
into any lines and risk serious injury or a costly<br />
service interruption, call Hawai‘i One Call Center<br />
tollfree at 1.866.423.7287 at least five days before<br />
you dig.<br />
Never assume these utility lines are buried<br />
deeper than you plan to dig. In some cases, utility<br />
lines are very close to the surface.<br />
Safer is Smarter<br />
To protect your family, your property and your<br />
power service, homeowners should keep trees<br />
trimmed away from power lines. If you have<br />
questions, contact <strong>KIUC</strong> at 246.4300.<br />
Remember …<br />
call before you dig!