Be Safe, Be Smart, Be Ready in case of power outages

Summer traditionally sees higher demand for electricity and brings with it a greater chance of extreme weather events, such as strong winds, lightning and heat, which can lead to localised power outages.

After completing one of its largest vegetation and maintenance programs to get the network ready for bushfire season, electricity distributor United Energy is urging everyone to include preparing for power outages as part of their emergency plan.

United Energy Head of Network Control, Chris Murn said it was critical everyone had a plan for what they would do if extreme conditions affected their power supplies.

United Energy works year-round to make sure the network is prepared for the extreme summer months.

Activities this year included:

• Upgrades to five high voltage feeders, 16 distribution substation upgrades and 380 low voltage circuits across all parts of the network.
• Rolling out our voluntary demand management program across 185 locations.
• Deploying measures to support expected additional load during the peak holiday period along the lower Mornington Peninsula.
• Increasing the sensitivity of its Rapid Earth Fault Current Limiters (REFCL) that are located in high bushfire risk areas, including Dromana, Frankston South and Mornington to prevent fire starts.
• Completed a full network vegetation inspection - LiDAR technology mounted on helicopters is used to inspect the entire overhead network. This provides our teams with accurate data on which trees need to be cut back from powerlines.
• Increased vegetation management cutting crew resources by 30%. We have cut thousands of trees away from powerlines in hazardous bushfire areas.

“We have also invested in building two emergency response vehicles that we will use to respond and support communities if they are impacted by extended outages this summer,” Mr Murn said.

“These vehicles are equipped with onboard generators and have phone, tablet and laptop charging capabilities and can also create a satellite internet Wi-Fi hotspot, so communities can connect with loved ones in a prolonged outage.”

If power is affected, customers will be updated via SMS, through our outage map or through our Victorian customer contact centre. Customers are encouraged to sign up to outage alerts.

Advice on how to prepare for power outages

Be Safe.

• Have a back-up plan ready if you rely on life support equipment or need electrical items to care for babies, the disabled, elderly or pets.
• Plan to keep food safe. Set your fridge to 5 degrees (5°C) or below. An unopened fridge will keep food for about four hours.
• Have plenty of drinking water available if your supply relies on power.

Be Smart.

• Sign up for SMS notifications about power supplies and choose your preferences for who you want to receive them here.
• Download the VicEmergency app and keep emergency phone numbers handy.
• Know how to connect computers and tablets to your mobile phone’s hotspot.
• Back-up computer files.

Be Ready.

• Charge mobile phones, laptops and portable back-up batteries.
• If you have a rooftop solar system or a battery, check that it is able to operate in a power outage.
• If you plan to use a diesel generator, make sure it’s fully fuelled, operational and that you know how to safely operate it.
• Have a battery-powered radio available for real time news updates.
• Keep battery-powered lamps or torches handy.