KIUC Linemen All Geared Up - Kauai Island Utility Cooperative

showing “ON” and “OFF” positions. If your house has
fuses, you will find a knife switch handle or pullout
fuse that should be marked “MAIN.” Remove all the
small fuses or turn off all the small breakers first,
then shut off the “MAIN.”
Most residential locations have a single feed from
the electric company, so the process will be simple
once you locate the main breaker panel. However, if
you have sub­electrical panels next to the main
breaker panel or main fuse box, or in other parts of
the home, in an emergency shut them off, too.
Shorts can sometimes develop that cause a circuit to
bypass the breaker or fuse.
Write it Down
KIUC’s meter team suggests posting a full written
list of circuit breaker numbers next to the breaker
panel describing which breaker switches control
which parts of the electrical system. This will help
you or anyone else working on the system focus on
the correct parts of the breaker panel and steer clear
of hot circuits.
At the August 30 board of director’s meeting,
KIUC President and CEO David Bissell read a letter
from National Rural Utilities Cooperative Finance
Corporation (CFC) Education fund regional Vice
President Dan Kessler presenting a grant for
$4,400 to KIUC.
“This check will go a long way in promoting the
cooperative business model and the cooperative
principles—and KIUC is thrilled to be the
recipient,” Bissell said.
Throughout CFC’s more than 40­year history of
service to the co­op industry, its focus has always
been on electric co­ops. The Cooperative
Education Fund is a part of that tradition. CFC
established the fund in 1981 as a way to support
education, training and information about the
cooperative way to employees and co­op
members. Since the programs began, CFC has
donated $7.8 million to statewide associations to
use in member education initiatives.
Since 2002, KIUC has received $37,100 from the
program.
How a Home’s Electrical
System Works
Electricity travels across distribution lines to a
transformer. Power then passes from the
transformer through the electric meter. Electricity
enters the home through a circuit panel, which is
wired to handle various loads. This is the main
“on­off” switch to the loads in the house.
When working on any part of your house’s
electrical system, leave a note on the breaker panel
notifying others not to turn on any circuits you have
switched off. This will keep others from accidentally
restoring current to an area of the house while you
are in the process of making electrical repairs.
And always secure the panel! Keep the breaker
panel door closed and secured when it is not being
worked on. Do not let children access the panel. You
can install a lockable panel door if you are concerned
children may be able to open it.
By Anne Barnes
KIUC Receives Education Grant
OCTOBER 2011 49