Understanding electric equipment responsibilities
Winter storms can arrive quickly and hit hard, sometimes causing significant damage to essential electric equipment throughout our community.
Little River Electric Cooperative is always prepared to respond swiftly to outages and restore power safely, but it is also important for members to understand which parts of the electric system are their responsibility and which are maintained by the co-op. Understanding these key differences can help speed up repairs and ensure everyone stays safe when the weather turns rough.
Little River Electric is responsible for maintaining and repairing the equipment and lines that run to your home, including utility poles, distribution power lines, electric meters and padmounted transformers (those green or gray metal boxes that sit on concrete pads).
LREC members are responsible for the equipment located between the electric meter and your home or business. Members are also responsible for the weather head and service mast or conduit from an underground line, located outside the home.
If any equipment you are responsible for is damaged, please call a licensed electrician to conduct the repairs. A professional has the experience and know-how to assess and manage these types of repairs.
When severe weather damages electrical equipment, it’s important to note that any necessary repairs to the homeowner’s equipment must be conducted before Little River Electric crews can restore power to your home or business. By understanding the equipment, you are responsible for, the repair and restoration process will be smoother and faster.
And while we love the beautiful trees and landscaping in our communities, regular trimming is necessary to ensure reliable electric service and minimize damage from severe weather. Little River Electric regularly trims trees throughout our service territory to improve service reliability. If you spot a tree limb that is obstructing a distribution power line outside your home, please call the cooperative so crews can trim those limbs and maintain those lines.
Any overgrown limbs or vegetation around the service line that runs from the power pole directly to your house is the homeowner’s responsibility. Please call a professional tree-trimming service to assist you in these cases.
By working together to understand the essential equipment that powers daily life, we can all be better prepared to start the repair and restoration process if severe weather impacts our community.
If you have any questions about your electrical equipment, we’re here to help. Please contact Little River Electric at (864) 366-2141.
