How often does your electricity fail?

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Ultimate Geek

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#755468 4-Feb-2013 11:39

Just had one all morning - it came back on about 30 mins ago tops. Glen Eden, Auckland. We seem to get 5-6 a year. All for a few hours each. The hot water seems to get turned off almost on a monthly basis. Nothing quite like getting up to a cold shower, then getting home to an even colder one :p

chevrolux

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#755485 4-Feb-2013 12:08

In Palmy north we haven't had a proper outage for probably a couple of years now. I believe it is because probably 95% of the services are underground.

I have the belief that new stuff should not even be given the option to go on poles. I think Auckland made a good decision not allowing TCL to put their network up on poles. I also think it is ridiculous they will put our billion dollar UFB network poles too. Underground FTW!!!

nickb800

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#755494 4-Feb-2013 12:20

chevrolux: In Palmy north we haven't had a proper outage for probably a couple of years now. I believe it is because probably 95% of the services are underground.

I have the belief that new stuff should not even be given the option to go on poles. I think Auckland made a good decision not allowing TCL to put their network up on poles. I also think it is ridiculous they will put our billion dollar UFB network poles too. Underground FTW!!!

Good points made here http://www.horizonservices.co.nz/services/overhead-or-underground, basically that underground networks are less likely to be disrupted day to day, but if/when they are disrupted, it takes far longer to locate and repair faults than an overhead line.

This was evident following the Christchurch EQs where the underground cables that fed substations were so badly damaged that it was easier/quicker for them to plan and build a new overhead line to bring power to the substations out East than to locate and repair all of the underground cable faults.

khull

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#755524 4-Feb-2013 13:21

In wellington region here, could probably count on one hand but far too many for a city to the point I have candles etc prepared. Auckland was far more reliable.

Talkiet

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#755531 4-Feb-2013 13:32

With the exception of the Feb 6.3 quake, and the planned outages after that to put fixes in place - I can't remember a power outage here in South New Brighton that affected me since I've been at this address (5 years?)

Of course, the Quake outage was a beauty - I think about 2 weeks for me. Yay for generators.

Cheers - N

Please note all comments are from my own brain and don't necessarily represent the position or opinions of my employer, previous employers, colleagues, friends or pets.

Bung

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#755538 4-Feb-2013 13:42

khull: In wellington region here, could probably count on one hand but far too many for a city to the point I have candles etc prepared. Auckland was far more reliable.

If your memory doesn't go back as far as 1998. Memory jogger http://www.brad.net.nz/blog/2009/10/auckland-power-cut-another-case-of-deja-vu-of-deja-vu/

DrCheese

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#755539 4-Feb-2013 13:46

Bung:
khull: In wellington region here, could probably count on one hand but far too many for a city to the point I have candles etc prepared. Auckland was far more reliable.

If your memory doesn't go back as far as 1998. Memory jogger http://www.brad.net.nz/blog/2009/10/auckland-power-cut-another-case-of-deja-vu-of-deja-vu/

This made the news in Australia, where i was living at the time. The news people were not very kind...

If anyone likes reading government documents written by lawyers on the responsibilities of power retailers, take a look here.

David.

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Trade NZ and US shares and funds with Sharesies (affiliate link).

Zippity

683 posts

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#755584 4-Feb-2013 15:01

You mean like the one at today's Super Bowl?

DrCheese

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#755587 4-Feb-2013 15:05

There were government documents being read out at the Super Bowl???

macuser

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#755611 4-Feb-2013 15:14

Live about 15 mins walk south of the Octagon in Dunedin and do not at all remember the last power outage...

DarthKermit

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#755660 4-Feb-2013 16:21

Maybe about once a year.

Palmerston North has >95% of its power lines underground now, so that probably makes the power network more reliable here.

Whatifthespacekeyhadneverbeeninvented?

alasta

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#755812 4-Feb-2013 22:03

khull: In wellington region here, could probably count on one hand but far too many for a city to the point I have candles etc prepared. Auckland was far more reliable.

It's been five years since I experienced a power failure here in Wellington, but a few years ago I was at a function in Auckland where the power went off and as I did the rounds chatting to various locals I was surprised that most people up there considered it a common occurrence.

In 20 years of living in Christchurch failures were also extremely rare.

JimmyH

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#755826 4-Feb-2013 23:16

Northern suburbs, Wellington - about 4 or 5 outages in the last 15 years. Occasional slight voltage fluctuation 2-3 times a year, which seems to be correlated with very high winds. Noticeable on that the lights flicker slightly - not enough to disrupt the TV and only rarely enough to trigger the alarm on my UPS.

I keep torches and candles handy just in case. Last major outage was night time mid-winter in 2011, and lasted for about an hour. I remember eating salt and vinegar crisps by torchlight for dinner (no way of heating food*), and watching telly on my rarely used handheld TV - which I have had for 15+ years, and runs of 4xAA batteries with a mighty 2.2" LCD screen - Woohoo. Sadly, it won't work past the digital switchoff, so can finally be taken out of my emergency kit.

* Actually, if desperate I could have heated food outside on the BBQ or my butane camping stove, and I always keep enough gas for each to last a few days as part of my emergency preparations. But but it was raining and freezing. I was too wimpy to go out and cook, and not mad enough to risk monoxide from using them inside.

PhantomNVD

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#755832 4-Feb-2013 23:38

Rural Franklin, we get car vs pole, planned maintenance, and storm damage... I guess prolly 8-12 a year for the last 7 ... We lost 3 microwaves, a tv, and numerous power blocks (le.g. cell chargers) till I put in a central lightning protection fuse about18 months ago... Can't do much about the brownouts and full drops, but got so fed up with UPS alarms we just got used to switching off the main PCM power strip each night and doing updates and bigger downloads while at work in the day...

richms

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#755833 4-Feb-2013 23:39

geek4me: check the outside box if others in the street still have power. Not sure if one is allowed to modify the meter box door to add a lock.

You are. box is your property, meter inside is not.

Richard rich.ms

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