Last year, South River EMC began discussing the changes we have seen in costs, lead time, and their impact on business.

This includes the cost of transformers, power lines, poles, substations and more, all of which are pieces of a system that must be maintained to provide you with reliable and affordable electricity.

We have seen changes to everything in some regard, whether it be cost or availability and those changes have an impact on you, the member.

We will begin with transformers, devices that convert high-voltage electricity to a lower voltage so it can be used in homes and businesses safely. They can be pole mounted (overhead service) or pad (ground) mounted (underground service). Transformer costs have risen and fallen over the course of five years, and now at an approximate 52% increase for pad-mounted units and 79% increase for pole mounted units.

Breakers, which are used to open and close medium- and high- voltage electric distribution circuits, run about $46,000 with a lead time of 5-8 months. They can be operated manually, when necessary, to perform maintenance or will automatically trip if an electrical fault/short-circuit occurs.

Regulators are pieces of equipment that regulate voltage at a substation to ensure consistent and adequate voltage levels are maintained across the electric system.

A small regulator is currently averaging a cost of $29,000. A larger regulator is priced, on average, around $42,500. Lead times for both are about 3-4 months. Regulators, which are used in groups of three in substations, now cost between $87,000 and $127,000 per group.

Reclosers, like breakers, operate when an electrical fault/short-circuit occurs on the electric system. They are often placed on circuits downline of a substation to isolate faulted areas and minimize the number of members affected. For explanation, electricity flows in a straight line; when a fault occurs, like a tree falling on the line, the recloser opens, preventing the path of electricity. Reclosers are around $9,000 and carry a lead time of about 2-3 months.

While South River EMC has worked to retire and repurpose as much as possible, costs, particularly to those items as seen in the graphic, have impacted product use as well.

We continue to plan and work to provide you with the reliable electric service.

Planning ahead, just another part of looking out for members.