By Butch Bacaoco
Aside from power interruptions, the “patay-siga, Christmas lights” incidents get the most complaints from Negros Power consumers. Almost all the comment threads of Negros Power’s FB posts contain complaints on power interruptions, which are often local in nature, and the rants on the inevitable “patay-siga, Christmas lights” incidents.
What causes these “off-and-on, and off-and-on again” incidents? Does Negros Power do this on purpose? Does these “patay-siga” increase electric consumption? Does it damage the appliances?
The “patay-siga” incidents are caused by transient, temporary or momentary faults in the distribution system, mostly along the power lines.
Have you seen branches of trees near the power lines in your neighborhood? During times when there are strong winds and heavy rain, these tree branches bend and touch the power lines, causing a short circuit or voltage surge, and activating the system’s protective device, primarily the Automatic Circuit Recloser or ACR, to trip-off or “open”.
The Automatic Circuit Recloser (ACR) is a protective device that automatically “opens” or cuts off the flow of electricity from a portion of the distribution system affected by a transient fault, so that the short circuit or power surge caused by the fault will not travel farther along the distribution system and cause more damage.
Moreover, with the flow of power cut off, the short circuit or power surge is effectively stopped. The downside is that consumers connected to that faulty line will experience a brief power interruption. That’s what causes your “patay”. But where is the “siga”?
When the ACR is activated by the fault, it “opens” like the residential power fuse whose filament is burnt when there is a short circuit in the home, thus preventing electricity to flow farther along the electrical lines in the house.
Unlike the residential fuse with only “one-time open” action and needs to be replaced, the ACR, as its name states, automatically “closes” the circuit, allowing electricity to flow back to the lines affected by the fault. Here’s your “siga”.
Approximately 98% of faults which activate the ACR are merely transient, temporary and momentary. The branches which were bent by wind or rain return to their position (which do not touch the power lines) when the wind or rain ceases. Considering this factor, after a short interval of usually five seconds from the occurrence of the fault, the ACR “closes” to resume the flow of electricity under the belief that the transient fault no longer exists.
Most often, or 98% of the time, power resumes and life goes on. In unlikely instances, with odds of two times out of a hundred times, the cause of the ACR’s activation is not a transient fault. Thus, when the ACR “closes, it immediately “opens” (patay-siga-patay). After another five-second interval, the ACR “recloses” and “reopens” again (patay-siga-patay-siga-patay) without “reclosing”.
This indicates that the fault is not transient. Most likely, the branch which touched the power lines got entangled or have fallen on the lines, even after the wind or rain stopped. Or it could be that a large tree branch was broken by the force of the wind or the weight of the rain, causing it to fall on and cut the power lines.
Aside from automatically restoring power during occurrence of transient faults (98% of the time), the ACR also indicates the location of the fault in the distribution system when it automatically will not “reclose” after usually three attempts. Thus, Negros Power employees can more quickly “localize” where the fault is, allowing them to more quickly act on and remedy the fault, so that power can be immediately restored to affected areas.
The “patay-siga, Christmas lights” incidents are not done on purpose by Negros Power. Natural forces (wind or rain) cause them. Negros Power conducts preventive measures, such as clearing of tree branches and vegetation near power lines, to minimize the occurrence of transient faults.
To prevent electrocution of its personnel, Negros Power has to shut off power along the lines where its people are conducting the clearing. This explains the need for a power interruption during clearing activities to ensure that transient faults will be minimized.
Does the “patay-siga, Christmas lights” incidents increase electric consumption? It has minimal effect on power consumption. The two or three times “on-and-off and on-and-off again” of electric fixtures and appliances will barely register on the KWHr meter.
Does the “patay-siga, Christmas lights” incidents damage appliances? The five-seconds interval of the ACR’s “open-close, then reclose-reopen” has been determined by industry experts to have little effect on most appliances. If consumers believe otherwise, it’s best for them to invest in power delay switches, for the same reason that they invest in rubber or plastic casings for their phones and uninterrupted power supply (UPS) for their PCs.
Negros Power is doing all it can to improve the delivery of electric service to consumers. Instead of mindlessly ranting online, consumers should also take time to learn what’s going on with their distribution utility.
