July 2021 Back Page – Taking Care of Summer Chores

Posted: July 1, 2021

AVEC has over 8,000 poles and maintains more than 500 miles of power line to deliver power from our 48 power plants to the nearly 12,000 meters in the communities we serve. Linemen work year-round to keep the poles standing straight, tensioning lines, and re-making connections that may have come loose in high winds. Summertime can be a great time to get work done, as long as the soil is not too wet for digging; there is plenty of daylight; and gloves boots and jackets are lighter— making the tough physical work a little bit easier.

Summer is also a great time for homeowners and businesses to inspect the electric service equipment on the outside of their buildings. AVEC’s responsibility for maintenance stops where the wires connect to the weatherhead on an overhead service and at the splice before the sweep up into the meter base on an underground service. Members should take the time to be sure the service entrance equipment mounted on the outside of their building is easily accessible and is in good repair. It is easier in the summer to make minor repairs or to endure an outage if bigger repairs are needed.

Take a step outside and look at where the power comes into your building. Check the meter base to be sure it is in good condition, that it is not rusty, it does not have any holes, it doesn’t have any bare wires and all the boxes and conduits are well fastened to the building. The service entrance should be well grounded. If your ground rods are sticking up out of the ground they should be driven back down and securely fastened to the ground wire going to the meter base. And make sure there is a clear path on the ground to get to, and in front of, the meter so operators can read, install or replace meters if necessary.

If you have any questions about the condition of your service entrance contact our Operations group (1-800-478-1818) for information or to schedule a disconnect, to allow your electrician to make repairs. Better to get it done now before winter winds, snow and ice return and potentially cause an extended outage.

Thanks for your help keeping things safe.

AVEC Community Meeting Update
Community meeting deadline has been extended to August 30th.
• Every Delegate is being asked to hold a community meeting.
• Member attendance at the community meeting is needed to meet the quorum.
• A community meeting with quorum must be held for delegate to be eligible to attend the annual meeting in Anchorage.

The Board of Directors recognizes that this is a busy time of year for members. By attending your community meeting you’ll:
• Receive a $25 credit toward your electric bill.
• Be entered to win $500 grand prize drawing.
• Be a voice for your community.

All members are encouraged to attend their community meetings. The Board of Directors are hopeful to have a large presence at the annual meeting.
Not sure when your community meeting is scheduled? Contact your AVEC Delegate or Julie Pierce, Member Services at 907-565-5310.