Why Maintenance Outages Happen When It’s Hot (2024)

Stories : Safety

Taylor Hillo

ENERGIZED by Edison Writer

One of the best things about living in California is the weather, but summer heat waves can mean searing temperatures, along with soaring demand for power as air conditioners crank around the clock.

And sometimes on those hot summer days, the power goes out — purposely, for scheduled maintenance.Why?

With over 40,000 maintenance outages performed annually, maintaining the electric system is a year-round process. There are 1.4 million poles and more than 100,000 miles of power lines in Southern California Edison’s service area, so staying on top of scheduled maintenance work, even during summer, is crucial to keeping the power flowing reliably.

Job Collins, SCE senior supervisor of Operations in Palm Springs, is constantly balancing intense summer temperatures with scheduled maintenance outages.

“Delaying these outages could cause aging equipment to fail, especially during long periods of high heat,” said Collins. “When equipment fails and a repair outage occurs, it takes much longer to restore power.”

During repair outages, a troubleman is sent to the location to determine the problem. Then, a crew arrives, sets up and safely completes the repair. The process can take time, keeping customers uncomfortably in the heat for longer than anyone wants to be. With scheduled maintenance outages, the crew knows exactly what needs to be updated, they are prepped and ready to go, and the outage is often much shorter.

To minimize the impacts, outages are capped at five hours when temperatures reach 105 degrees. The outage is canceled when temperatures reach 113 degrees. Some outages are scheduled at night, as well. But that means more people are home, so what seems like a better option for some, can be a challenge for others.

“That 113 degree-plus can span three to four months here in Coachella Valley,” Collins said. “When you look at the sheer volume of outages required, that only leaves you eight or nine months to try to get work done safely.”

While Palm Springs experiences extreme temperatures regularly, high heat impacts a large part of SCE’s service area — from Visalia to Santa Clarita and the San Gabriel Valley. Wherever the outage is needed, crews care about the impact this work has on the community.

“As a customer myself, I know it can be frustrating when the power is out,” Collins said. “We do everything we can to lessen the impacts.”

Before a scheduled maintenance outage, SCE’s planning team helps isolate the outage to the smallest number of customers possible by rerouting power, and crews bundle as many upgrades as possible in that one outage to avoid needing to return in the near future. Affected residents are also sent a letter in the mail or text alert notifying them of the planned work, to help them prepare.

So, if you experience a scheduled maintenance outage this summer, keep in mind, the lights are turned off to make sure the power stays on.