Holidays

Don’t Menace the Community with Your Mylar Balloons: Mom Won’t Like It

By |
Download PDF

Mother’s Day and graduation celebrations call for outdoor gatherings.  But before firing up the grill, be sure to take precautions to ensure any Mylar balloons used to liven up the festivities won’t pose a threat to the electric system. In recognition of National Electrical Safety Month, Eversource is reminding customers that Mylar balloons can cause power outages and even pose a significant safety risk. “The silver metallic coating on Mylar balloons is a conductor of electricity. If the balloon makes contact with power lines, it can damage electric lines and equipment, and cause power outages.

Around Town
Eversource helicopter N1431W 02-22-17

Here’s How Often Eversource Helicopters Fly Over Darien — and Why

By |
Download PDF

Eversource schedules its helicopters to fly over major electricity transmission lines and equipment four times a year (most recently in late December, late February and late this month — starting about now or sometime soon). We asked a utility spokesman why that happens so often, and here’s what we found out:

Frank Poirot, a spokesman for Eversource, said the electric utility conducts two different types of regular inspections over major equipment, including transmission lines, each twice a year. Heat-Sensing Flights
Two trips each year are done with infrared, heat-sensing equipment to see whether lines are especially hot — a sign that the equipment is breaking down. The choppers will fly over the equipment once in the winter and once in the summer. “In the winter, we’ll see the greatest temperature differential, so that hot spot will show up right away,” Poirot said.

Business
Eversource helicopter N1431W 02-22-17

Eversource Helicopter Coming to Darien — Again

By |
Download PDF

If it seems like announcements have been pretty frequent about the Eversource inspections helicopter coming by — it they have. It was coming in December, the utility announced. And again in February. And now its coming in late March. It could be here any time between March 23  through 24 or March 27 through March 31, the company said in a notification received by First Selectman Jayme Stevenson, who passed it on to local news organizations.

Outdoors
Eversource Logo thumbnail square 7-4-16

Eversource Announces Its CT Tree-Trimming Program for 2017

By |
Download PDF

Working closely with community leaders and tree wardens throughout Connecticut, Eversource’s team of licensed arborists has developed a well thought-out tree trimming plan for 2017 that carefully balances the need for electric reliability while maintaining community aesthetics.  

— an announcement from Eversource

In an effort to reduce tree-related power outages, the company will invest $75 million this year pruning trees that threaten the electric system and the reliable delivery of power for customers. Eversource will be trimming trees along more than 4,200 miles of overhead lines around the state.  With the lasting effects of the recent drought continuing to plague the region, identifying and removing hazardous drought-stressed trees remains a top priority this year for Eversource arborists. “While we have a comprehensive tree trimming and removal program, the lack of rain and snow in the region over the past year-plus has taken a toll on trees and managing them is even more vital than ever,” said Sean Redding, Manager of Vegetation Management at Eversource.

Business
Eversource helicopter transmission line inspection 02-22-17

Buzz Coming: Eversource Helicopters to Fly Over Darien Checking High-Voltage Lines

By |
Download PDF

From today through March 1, Eversource helicopters will be flying over various Connecticut towns, including Darien, doing semi-annual inspections of high-voltage electrical lines and equipment. 

The chopper will be in the air from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. in various towns, including all the shoreline towns from Greenwich to Fairfield, along with Wilton, Ridgefield and Redding in Fairfield County. The twice-a-year inspections involve “the use of a helicopter equipped with heat-sensing, infrared scanning technology which can detect potential equipment issues before they occur.” The utility says the inspections are an important way to reduce the number and duration of power outages.  

 

An Eversource news release about the helicopter inspections said:
The region’s transmission system is the backbone of the electric grid.  Overhead inspections of transmission lines and equipment – often located upwards of 100 feet in the air – help engineers detect potential problems in advance, allowing the company to schedule necessary maintenance and upgrades before reliability issues arise.

Weather
Eversource Outage Map 02-13-17

With High Winds, a Higher Possibility of Power Outages in Darien

By |
Download PDF

Are you prepared if your power goes out today? Winds are gusting, and there have been scattered power outages in nearby cities and towns. This article will be updated as more information comes in. Update, 3:35 p.m.:

Latest on area outages, from Eversource — numbers of customers without power:

Darien — 15 customers
Stamford — 515
New Canaan — 1
Norwalk (partly covered by Eversource) — 82
Greenwich — 827
Wilton — 209
Westport — 91
Weston — 126

Update, 3:30 p.m.:

Metro-North says the New Haven Line is now operating on or close to schedule. Update, 1:55 p.m.:

Metro-North announced at 1:04 p.m.: “New Haven Line service is currently experiencing delays of 20-30 minutes due to a tree in the wires in the vicinity of Old Greenwich.  Please listen for announcements at your station.”