A frequent question being posted to Emerald People Utility District (EPUD) on social media is, “Why do my neighbors have power and I don’t?” There are three reasons that is happening.
First off, it’s important to know how power gets to your home. There is a distribution or “feeder” line that provides power to towns and communities. EPUD has restored most of those lines. Then there are tap lines which feed power to neighborhoods. Finally, there are service lines which bring power to individual houses.
- The most likely reason you don’t have power is because your service line is damaged. “Never in the history of EPUD have we seen so many damaged service lines. Calling this damage historic doesn’t even begin to describe the widespread destruction,” said Scott Coe, EPUD general manager.
- The service line is attached to a weatherhead on your house. If the weatherhead and/or meter base is damaged, electricity cannot get through. Customers are advised to be proactive. Go out and look at your meter base. If a downed tree or limb has pulled it away from your home, an electrician will need to repair it.
- Your neighbor across the street may have power because she is on a different tap line. A tap line feeds power to neighborhoods. Once your tap line has been restored, power will be restored to your home as long as there is not any damage to your service line, weatherhead, or meter base.
Contact EPUD if your neighbors have power and you don’t and you are concerned about service line damage.
“We have 11 crews working to get electricity restored. This has been a hard week on our customers. We hear you and we are committed to getting you power,” Coe said.
Emerald PUD is a not‐for‐profit electric utility formed in 1978 by a small group of local citizens who wanted better, customer‐oriented service at the lowest possible rates. Today EPUD serves more than 20,000 meters in Lane County, Oregon.