May is National Electrical Safety Month, and SECO Energy encourages members to commit to safety. Safety is SECO’s most important core value.
Electrical safety applies to everyone who uses electricity. Electric energy can burn and kill. According to the Electrical Safety Foundation International (EFSI), over 51,000 American homes are damaged or destroyed by fires caused by electrical failures each year.
Homeowners should learn the basics about the electrical system in their homes and how to prevent electrical fires. Homes that are more than 20 years old may have outdated wiring that can lead to an electrical fire. Signs of outdated wiring include flickering lights, tripped breakers and a burning smell. The circuits may be overloaded. If the home’s wiring is outdated, the electrical outlets are as well. Outlets that are damaged, loose or warm to the touch need to be repaired or replaced.
Home wiring is a job best tackled by a professional. Contact a reputable electrician who is licensed, insured and adheres to local code requirements. Electricians can also assist in adding extra electrical outlets that will avoid circuit overload.
Adults over 65 are at greatest risk of suffering injury or death from a home fire. Young children with their natural curiosity are also vulnerable.
Electrical safety extends outside the home. Never touch utility equipment such as underground transformers or overhead power lines. Always consider power lines to be energized and dangerous. After a storm be especially cautious for downed wires. Stay away from downed lines and call 911 to report immediately. Vehicle crashes involving power poles can result in energized lines near the accident. Remain in the vehicle if it is safe to do so.
Teach children electrical safety as well. Never allow children to play on or near electrical equipment and to never enter a substation. Children should not climb trees near energized lines. Keep toys such as planes and kites away from overhead lines.
Learn more about electrical safety on SECO’s Safety page. “Like” SECO on Facebook and “follow” @SECOEnergy on Twitter for news releases and cooperative updates.
At year-end 2018, your not-for-profit cooperative served 205,644 members with reliable, safe, affordable power. The communities SECO Energy serves in our seven-county area are growing. You and your fellow members consumed over 3.14 billion kilowatt hours (kWh) last year – an increase of 184 million kWh over 2017.
We welcomed 5,161 new members in 2018. SECO invested over $3.3 million per month to maintain, inspect and build new infrastructure to reach new members and improve system reliability. The total investment in facilities tops $878.7 million.
Much of our growth can be attributed to The Villages expansion in Sumter County but other counties are prospering as well. 23% of last year’s new growth occurred in Marion County and 32% was attributed to Lake County. 43% of the growth falls in Sumter County, and SECO’s 2019 work plan aligns with that ongoing development.
This month, I’m highlighting a noteworthy system improvement project – the $3 million Federal substation expansion in Sumter County along County Road 501. Federal’s expansion is impressive – tripling its size – making it the largest in SECO’s territory to keep pace with growth in The Villages of Fenney, Southern Oaks and the Turnpike area.
The existing substation was rebuilt in 2017. A new control house was installed. The high and low side bus work was rebuilt, the sub was completely rewired and expanded foundations were poured.
In this state-of-the-art substation, we are adding two 56 MVA power transformers for a total of three, and building eight new distribution feeders for a total of 12 to serve more members. Federal serves 3,000 members – my home included. After expansion, capacity will increase ten-fold to potentially power 30,000 members’ homes.
Safeguarding this multi-million-dollar investment is a relay protection scheme programmed to protect the substation and power transformers to keep the sub operational. SECO Relay Technicians like Travis Taylor (who you’ll read about as this month’s SECO Champion) compute the limits feeders can distribute and the amount of fault current feeders can absorb and continue to operate safely.
Power transformers provide the proper voltage to members served by the substation. When unexpected outages occur, a car hits a pole or a tree falls on the line, relays operate and try to clear the fault/interruption detected on the line. A power blink is the relay scheme in action, interrupting power and restoring quickly. If the fault still exists after the blink, the relay shuts the power flow to protect the transformers as well as the downline breakers and equipment.
Like the substation itself, the relay scheme is high-tech. Federal will be equipped with an auto-restore scheme. If a power transformer is nonoperational, a transformer in the substation will automatically pick up the load in less than a minute. Thus, members may see a blink instead of a full outage. The transmission lines will be fully looped – meaning if a fault occurs on one side of the transmission line, another side will automatically pick up the load and members won’t know a problem occurred.
SECO’s 48 substations are inspected monthly. Crews visually inspect all material, run diagnostic tests and view equipment through an infrared camera that detects temperature variations. Equipment that is out of normal temperature ranges is inspected and replaced or repaired.
Along with monthly maintenance, substations undergo a major overhaul every eight years. Our techs test relays, breakers and transformers. Test records help build trends over time. Every year, a dissolved gas analysis is conducted on all substation power transformers. Techs take a sample of the oil found in the transformers and test for arcing, which is the first sign of failure. Samples are tested in-house at our mini lab and sent away for further analysis if dangerous gases are present and degradation is suspected.
Federal is one of many system improvement projects scheduled this year. The Marion Oaks substation is being completely rebuilt, and we’re upgrading the Ocala Park substation. Major maintenance is happening at the Clermont, Haines Creek, Inverness, Linadale, Mount Dora and The Villages substations.
Improving reliability and keeping power affordable for you and your family are top priorities at SECO.
Sincerely,
Jim Duncan
Chief Executive Officer
Meet SECO Champion Travis Taylor – an example of our 400+ SECO Champion employees. Travis is dedicated to providing exceptional service to members, co-workers and communities.
TRAVIS TAYLOR – RELAY TECHNICIAN
LENGTH OF SERVICE – 2 YEARS
“SECO is reliable.”
SECO Champion Travis Taylor is a 1st Class Relay Technician stationed in Sumterville. As a Relay Technician, he commissions, tests and maintains the equipment in SECO’s substations. A Florida native originally from Apopka, Travis and his wife have two young sons and make their home on the eastern side of SECO’s territory in Mount Dora. Travis and his family are active at their local church. Travis’ work at the Federal substation is instrumental in bringing its two new power transformers and expanded member capacity online. When Federal’s expansion is complete it will be the largest substation in SECO’s territory.
RELAY FOR LIFE – JOIN THE SECO ENERGY VIRTUAL TEAM
SECO Energy is a proud, long-time supporter of the American Cancer Society by participating in local Relay For Life events. Relay For Life is the American Cancer Society’s premier event.
This year, we are asking members to join a virtual SECO Relay For Life team established in your local community.
By partnering with SECO’s virtual Relay For Life team, you become a member of an organization of 3.5 million survivors, patients, advocates, volunteers, caregivers and researchers doing everything within our power to save lives.
You can participate virtually and/or in person. To join a SECO Energy team, visit Relay Events, look for “Find a Participant or Team” and choose “Team.” Enter team name: “SECO Energy” and click “Search.” Choose your local Relay event to join one of SECO’s teams, donate or dedicate a luminaria.
Join SECO Energy and the American Cancer Society today!
CALL 811 BEFORE YOU DIG
Planting a garden or a tree? Call 811 before you dig. In Florida, it’s the law.
Sunshine 811 is a free service that locates and marks underground utilities, keeping you and your family safe from digging into buried electric, natural gas, telephone or water lines. Know what’s below – dial 811 or visit Sunshine 811 online to request utility locating assistance.
TREE LINE USA 12 YEARS GROWING
We are proud to announce that SECO Energy has earned the Tree Line USA Utility distinction from the Arbor Day Foundation. Your cooperative has been named a Tree Line USA Utility now for 12 consecutive years!
The Arbor Day Foundation created the Tree Line USA program to recognize public and private utilities for practices that protect and enhance America’s urban forests. A collaboration of the Foundation and the National Association of State Foresters, Tree Line USA promotes the dual goals of delivering safe and reliable electricity while maintaining healthy community trees.
To be named a Tree Line USA Utility, SECO follows the Arbor Day Foundation’s standards that include quality tree care, annual worker training, tree planting and public education, tree-based energy conservation programs and participation in an annual Arbor Day celebration event.
Hurricane Irma is indeed the biggest, baddest, meanest named storm we’ve seen in a long time. Irma’s damage to our system was more significant than we experienced in the infamous 2004 hurricane season.
Hurricane Irma – the aptly named “war goddess” – arrived with an arsenal of hurricane-force winds. She wreaked havoc as she traveled directly through SECO’s service territory as a Category 1 to a Category 3 hurricane, per data from the National Hurricane Center. Power outages began late Sunday evening September 10, and members continued to lose power through Monday morning.
From Irma’s onset until winds subsided Monday mid-day, approximately 139,000 outages were reported by members and captured by our outage management system. Over half of our system was damaged by the hurricane-force winds with lines, transformers and poles on the ground covered by trees and debris.
Executing an emergency action plan before, during and after a named storm is a standard practice for a Florida utility like SECO Energy. Storm hardening and emergency response are key investments for a not-for-profit electric cooperative. To successfully react to a weather crisis, we rely heavily on our tried and true emergency response plan and advanced preparation.
Members always want to know how SECO decides who is first in line for restoration. Florida requires substations and feeders serving hospitals, shelters, schools and government agencies to be restored as the highest priority. The next priority is restoring power to large groups of members, and then to less populated areas with individual electric services.
Due to SECO’s demographic, we serve a large number of nursing homes and assisted living facilities. During Hurricane Irma, these facilities became a priority as well as they began to run out of generator fuel. The same held true for communication towers a few days into the recovery. Water treatment facilities and lift stations were also a strong consideration.
The bottom line is every member wants power turned back on – now. SECO is sensitive to that, and we understand the discomfort and inconvenience members experience. Personally, I slept on a cot in my office for four nights because my home was without power. I’m sharing that not for sympathy but to emphasize that SECO follows the plan and does not give special treatment or favors.
Once an emergency begins, logistics like fuel, food, lodging, manpower and a solid work plan are all critical to a timely restoration. Securing line and tree trimming contractor support from neighboring areas was difficult because Irma had such far-reaching effects. We searched far and wide and brought in contractors from Alabama, Colorado, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Louisiana, Michigan, Missouri, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas and other parts of Florida.
Fuel, ice, food and hotel rooms for these folks became a logistical challenge as the state seemingly shut down before, during and after Irma. From the beginning of the restoration effort on Monday, fuel availability for our trucks was limited. Traffic on I-75 southbound delayed the out-of-state contractors’ arrivals. Evacuees understandably fled from coastal areas to central Florida, reducing the availability of hotels to lodge our restoration teams from out of state.
Contract line and tree crews arrived and suited up alongside our SECO home team after winds died down around noon that Monday. These professionals were in it to win it. SECO made significant progress, restoring power to over 90,000 members during the first three days of restoration – 49,000 members remained without power.
To better communicate with members, SECO developed an interactive restoration plan map that was launched Tuesday evening. The map was updated nightly to reflect the next day’s restoration plan.
This resource became a useful communication tool for members seeking information on the timing of their particular area’s restoration. Social media was a blessing throughout the hurricane and restoration, and helped members keep in touch when CenturyLink went down.
When Thursday dawned, progress slowed as SECO fought through new challenges and obstacles. High waters across roads and in homes prevented restoration in south Sumter County. Areas with significant damage took longer than planned. Stolen wire delayed restoration in Webster, Croom-A-Coochee and Lake Panasoffkee. Crews were redirected to allow restoration to continue in areas where we could restore larger numbers quickly.
The weather threatened to hinder progress on Friday and Saturday, as the presence of lightning would bring restoration to a stop. We put the word out for farmers to stop cutting hay and for residents to not wash their cars. We prayed and crossed our fingers.
Prayers were answered, and on Saturday at noon, less than 10,000 members were without power. We were determined to have full restoration complete by the end of the day Sunday, September 17. More than 1,200 SECO crews, along with line and tree contractors converged for the last time on our territory to finish rebuilding the remaining lines, clear trees, replace poles, avoid alligators and respond to the remaining small pockets of outages.
Though it was admittedly a rough week for those who lost power, I am proud to say that by Sunday night, 99.9% of SECO members had power restored. Only about 70 accounts in south Sumter County were unable to receive electric service due to high water conditions.
Many of our employees worked 20-hour days, didn’t have power at home and could have auditioned for a role on The Walking Dead. I am grateful for the hard work and dedication of the entire SECO team. I’m also grateful for the thousands of line and tree contractors who traveled thousands of miles to Florida, leaving their families to aid ours during Hurricane Irma restoration. They have my respect and appreciation.
In each major restoration event, there are lessons learned. Sometimes Murphy’s Law prevailed and other times, thankfully, we had favor and won the day. As a team, we celebrated the highs and worried through the lows.
Nature’s Reflections will be back next month. Clearly, Mother Nature made her presence known through Hurricane Irma as these photos show.
I believe in preparing for the worst and praying for the best. Hurricane Irma may be as close to the worst we will ever see. Today, let’s count our blessings and be thankful.
On November 12, 1938, the first employees of Sumter Electric Cooperative electrified 400 homes at the crossroads of Sumter, Lake and Marion Counties. Sumter Electric has since evolved from a small, rural electric cooperative into our d/b/a name of SECO Energy, and has grown into a regional, not-for-profit electric cooperative serving members across Central Florida.
SECO’s growth during its 80-year history is impressive. Continued economic development in our service territory, keeps us investing in new infrastructure and upgrading our existing system. When I joined the SECO team in 1979, the cooperative served less than 39,000 members. Upon becoming CEO in 1990, we served almost 70,000 members. Since then, SECO’s membership increased to almost 200,000 members – a growth rate of 186%.
Population booms create a greater demand for power. To keep pace, SECO makes investing in its electric system a top priority. As of July 31, SECO’s system wide facilities investment is $817.8 million, which equates to an investment of $2.77 million per month in SECO’s system.
Sumter County is growing with The Villages of Fenney and Southern Oaks, future home to 8,000 houses and numerous retail spaces. As a result, SECO is upgrading that area’s substation (called “Federal” because it serves the prison) from 12kV to 25kV and building additional feeders to increase capacity.
In its current configuration, the substation can serve 5,000 members. The upgrade brings the capacity to 25,000 members. The substation is currently equipped with a 34-megawatt power transformer. The upgrade adds two 56-megawatt power transformers with space for another 56-megawatt power transformer if/when needed. The Federal substation upgrade investment is approximately $3 million.
This system upgrade also gives SECO the ability to backfeed power to members served by other substations in the event of an outage.
In south Lake County, crews have already upgraded equipment at our Big Creek substation. In Marion County, crews are upgrading the relay equipment at our Oak Run substation that serves members in the western State Road 200 area. In northwest Marion County, work has begun to upgrade our Blitchton substation to increase its operating voltage and capacity.
Future power supply development by our wholesale provider, Seminole Electric Cooperative is a topic you’ll hear about in more detail soon. Seminole supplies power to 1.6 million Floridians, and the company’s plans for the future ensure an adequate power supply with a fuel portfolio that keeps costs and rates low but also expands the use of renewable energy. That said, SECO will continue to provide reliable power to current members and be ready to serve future members.
It is our pleasure to serve your family’s energy needs. Thank you for being a SECO member.
Lightning Buzz
Florida is deemed the “Lightning Capital” of the nation. It comes as no surprise that lightning is the leading cause of outages in SECO’s service area, and it creates a host of problems for our electric system. Lightning can strike power lines directly, causing a sudden increase in the electrical field. This sudden increase causes outages by tripping fuses, reclosers and breakers installed along the lines to protect the circuit. Lightning also plays a role in the second and third leading causes of outages – trees and equipment failures. Lightning strikes trees, causing damage to tree branches, trunks and roots. Branches and entire trees fall onto lines, bringing down poles and lines, causing outages. Lightning interrupts the normal operation of transformers, cabinets, fusers and breakers, and lightning can spark fires that damage electrical equipment.
Squirrels, birds and bears – oh my – they wreak havoc on SECO’s facilities. Bears use SECO poles as scratching posts, creating a weakened pole that could break and cause lines to fall. Squirrels, birds and snakes travel on SECO lines and cause outages. Birds build their nests on SECO poles and woodpeckers drill into wood poles to hollow out nests.
System maintenance is a constant and costly battle. During hurricane season and beyond, SECO is Storm Ready, equipped to respond quickly and safely to major weather events and occasional outages. If you experience an outage, use your tablet or smartphone to report it through Storm Center at SECOEnergy.com.
Energy Efficiency
Curb the Silent Demanders
According to energy.gov, a home’s water heater accounts for about 12% of monthly energy use. Follow these simple, easy tips to increase the energy efficiency of your water heater.
Install a timer that turns off the unit at night or when not in use.
Lower the temperature to 120º F.
Wash and rinse clothes in cold water.
Wash only a full load in your dishwasher on the shortest cycle.
Replace showerheads and faucets with low-flow fixtures.
It may be time to consider purchasing a new water heater, clothes washer or dishwasher. Look for the ENERGY STAR® label. Tankless water heaters use less energy, but the up-front costs are higher. ENERGY STAR reports savings of $135 a year by replacing a washer that’s over ten years old. ENERGY STAR-qualified dishwashers use 31% less energy and 33% less water than older models – a double-win for efficiency.
Searching for additional energy-saving advice? SECO’s Energy Services Specialists are available to answer your questions. Visit our website to schedule an Energy Audit appointment at your home or business today.
Surge Protection Bill Credit Winner
Margaret Locke from Umatilla is the winner of SECO’s $300 Surge Protection Bill Credit. Congratulations Margaret!
You too can add a layer of protection to your home’s appliances with SECO’s meter-based surge protection. Enroll online today!
SECO Energy, is reminding Pokémon Go users to stay away from overhead power lines, transformers and substations. When collecting Pokémons in the popular virtual reality game, electrical safety rules still apply.
Users playing Pokémon Go, collect Pokémons in various public locations. Players use their phones to hunt for virtual Pokémons in the real world and then train, battle and capture other Pokémons.
Use caution when playing the game and don’t allow yourself to be drawn into a dangerous situation. Always assume any electric line is energized, Pokémons can appear anywhere, and some “electric” type characters may appear near electric equipment.
Important safety tips:
Stay away from all electric utility equipment, including lines, transformers, work sites and substations
Do not climb power poles
Report any downed power lines immediately and stay away
Do not allow children to play near lines, including climbing trees or flying kites near overhead power lines
A special warning is issued to parents, children playing the game may not be aware of the dangers of electricity. When playing Pokémon Go, or playing in general, urge children to never play near electric equipment.
With hurricane season beginning on June 1, 2016, and afternoon thunderstorms on the horizon, SECO Energy is assuring members that the cooperative and its employees are “Storm Ready.”
SECO remains Storm Ready by focusing on preventing outages throughout the year, not only during storm and hurricane season. Storm Ready is designing, building and maintaining a reliable system that delivers power to SECO members rain or shine. In 2015, SECO maximized its outage prevention efforts by inspecting almost 20,000 pieces of equipment, upgrading fiber optic lines to improve data communication and trimming or removing trees that could endanger overhead power lines.
When thunderstorms are approaching, SECO’s member services employees are ready to answer calls and assist members. SECO’s Corporate Communications department delivers updated storm and outage information to members via the website and social media channels.
SECO’s System Operations Center is manned 24 hours a day, seven days a week and uses advanced weather tracking to predict weather patterns affecting the area. They are ready to assist members outside of normal business hours and dispatch a cavalcade of employees and trucks to restore members’ power. SECO Operations employees work diligently to restore power quickly and safely – they are the good guys in the white hats.
Kathryn Gloria, Vice President of Corporate Communications and Energy Services encourages members to be Storm Ready as well. “As a not-for-profit electric cooperative, we are dedicated to helping our members’ prepare for storm season. Now is the time to assemble your emergency supply kit and update your contact information with SECO. SECO is committed to being our members’ first source for accurate storm communications and updates.”
To review a comprehensive emergency checklist, visit www.secoenergy.com. Bookmark SECO’s website in your desktop or smartphone browser to quickly report an outage through SECO’s Storm Center. Members who “Like” SECO’s Facebook page and “follow” us on Twitter have instant access to updates on storm activity, news releases and restoration efforts.
