As people heed the warnings to stay inside amid the heat wave crossing Connecticut, the electricity grids are not catching a break.
Utility companies are keeping a watchful eye on outages as there is more stress on the grids with so much use.
Some major electricity companies already reported minor failures and outages. Those companies are sending out crews to get electricity back running in those areas quickly.
While getting your power back on is important, Eversource said keeping its crews safe is even more important.
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“It’s about as dangerous as it gets. They’re working on a live circuit right now," said Simon Spence, one of the crew supervisors with Eversource.
Spence’s crew was working in Bloomfield to activate powerlines that had been replaced to help increase efficiency. His crew members said the heat is tough and all of the safety gear they have to wear just makes it that much more difficult.
“No escaping it. The gloves and the sleeves and all the PPE we wear definitely doesn’t help,” said Richard Scherer, a line worker with Eversource.
Working with powerlines and being several feet in the air is dangerous in any kind of weather, but temperatures in the 90s made it even more challenging for crews across Connecticut on Thursday.
“It’s not very pleasant. Try to find shade. Take breaks. Drink water. Stay cool when we can,” Marciano said.
Eversource, Norwich Public Utilities, and United Illuminating all tell NBC Connecticut they anticipate peak electricity use during this time, which could cause grid failures.
United Illuminated reported already experienced outages that crews have had to fix. Eversource said it had crews prepared to respond to any outages that may arise.
Spence said the goal is to keep everyone cool and safe, including the workers.
“Doing what we can to spread out the load for our guys so they’re not being overworked out here. We have a commitment to the customers but at the end of the day the priority is getting our guys back home safe,” Spence explained.
NPU wanted to remind people to use electricity wisely during hotter days.
The company said it will help with costs and prevent more outages. One tip NPU gave is to use appliances that require a lot of electricity like the washer and dryer or the dishwasher during the evening hours when there is less stress on the grid.
