Congratulations to the 19 ElectriCities of North Carolina member utilities that received national recognition for achieving exceptional electric reliability in 2021:
- City of Albemarle, N.C.
- City of Elizabeth City, N.C.
- City of Kinston, N.C.
- City of Laurinburg, N.C.
- City of Lumberton, N.C.
- City of Monroe, N.C.
- City of Newton, N.C.
- City of Rocky Mount, N.C.
- City of Shelby, N.C.
- Fayetteville Public Works Commission (N.C.)
- Martinsville Electric Department (Va.)
- New River Light & Power (N.C.)
- Seneca Light & Water (S.C.)
- Town of Apex, N.C.
- Town of Granite Falls, N.C.
- Town of Smithfield, N.C.
- Town of Tarboro, N.C.
- Town of Wake Forest, N.C.
- Wilson Energy (N.C.)
Each earned a Certificate of Excellence in Reliability from the American Public Power Association (APPA).
Honorees have been tracking their power outage and restoration data through APPA’s eReliability Tracker. Using the web-based subscription service, utilities can collect, categorize, and summarize outage and restoration data and run reports throughout the year.
Once a year, APPA’s Reliability Team compares this data to national statistics that the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) tracks for all types of electric utilities. APPA awards Certificates of Excellence in Reliability to those utilities that have a System Average Interruption Duration Index (SAIDI) in the top 25% of utilities nationally.
“It’s encouraging to see—once again—that public power’s track record for providing highly reliable service is backed up by the data,” APPA VP of Operations and Technical Services Alex Hofmann said in a news release from APPA. “These communities should be proud of their local power providers and appreciate the hard work that goes into earning this recognition.”
“Even when faced with hurricanes, ice storms, and other natural disasters, our member communities continue to shine each year, providing their customers with safe, reliable electric service,” said P.J. Rehm, Manager of Technology and Renewable Programs at ElectriCities. “We congratulate these utilities and commend them for doing what it takes to keep their communities powered.”
According to data reported to the EIA, the average public power customer nationwide is without power for less than half the amount of time customers of other types of utilities are.
North Carolina’s public power customers fare even better. They experience 40% fewer outages than other power providers’ customers in the state. And when the power does go out, the outage lasts, on average, only about one-third the time of those other providers.
eReliability Tracker service is an ElectriCities member benefit. If you’re interested in tracking your utility’s reliability, contact PJ Rehm.
View the national list of 2021 Certificate of Excellence in Reliability recipients at www.PublicPower.org. For a comprehensive list of awards ElectriCities member utilities have won, visit the Awards and Accolades page on the ElectriCities website.