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DTE crews working to prevent outages
Residents may be too familiar with their power cycle as severe storms roll through, leaving many in the dark, and without air conditioning, leaving people stuck in the raging heat. DTE announced that in preparation for more extreme weather, the utility company is expected to repair and replace aging equipment to crackdown on outages.
DETROIT (FOX 2) - DTE says they are stepping up to combat power outages as the Metro Detroit heat rises within the week.
Big picture view:
Residents may be too familiar with their power cycle as severe storms roll through, leaving many in the dark, and without air conditioning, leaving people stuck in the raging heat.
DTE announced that in preparation for more extreme weather, the utility company is expected to repair and replace aging equipment to crackdown on outages.
Crews were towering over power lines in Detroit, repairing transformers and trying to make sure the lights stay on during the upcoming heatwave and the storms that may follow.
What they're saying:
Jerry Tullio with DTE Field Operations says more Metro Detroit homes and buildings on the grid are now creating more demand, especially in the heat. So, when it gets hot and everyone cranks up their AC, the power grid can get overwhelmed, fueling more outages.
"We have people on standby ready to respond to any of the power outages that are coming our way," said Tullio. "We’re looking at transformers, we’re looking at wires. We’re looking at sectionalizing devices that allow us to reroute power whenever there’s a power outage or when there’s a need based off of the load and the various things that are happening on the grid. We’re investing $1.5 billion a year in our grid so we’re constantly upgrading it, constantly replacing various pieces of equipment."
What you can do:
While DTE crews take on those repairs, FOX 2 was told keeping them cool and safe in the heat is key, but the same goes for customers.
Tullio listed some tips people at home can follow.
"There’s a few things that we suggest they do: pull the shades down in their house, raise the temperature in their house up to 78 degrees. That will also help keep bills a little more affordable, and reroute the air in their house to where they’re actually staying by closing the registers," said Tullio.
The Source: FOX 2 talked with DTE for information on this report.