ElecComm Power Services Blog

The unforgettable March blackout of Boston’s Back Bay was the largest power outage in decades. ElecComm Power Services provided support and services to the area, solely organizing and executing every aspect of supplying temporary power to the district.

The task was large; diverse obstacles arose making the task of supplying temporary power to the neighborhood a challenge. As summer-like weather called for New England temperatures to be in the mid-80’s, EPS prepared for possible heat related failures as they continued the power relief effort. Just as predicted, a secondary transformer started heating up while taking on more and more of the district’s power demand off of EPS generators.

The transformer was found in a confined space discharging 11 million BTU worth of heat. The small room that housed the electrical device and the limited space of the city’s narrow street made standard cooling methods impossible to achieve. Instead, EPS devised a plan to cool the fins of the transformer by supplying 100 tons of A/C, creating 64,000 CFM of cold air across the fins to simulate winter-like conditions during the unseasonably warm weather.

Because of the prompt, safe, and efficient action of ElecComm Power Services, the transformer was cooled and remains in operation. EPS efficiently adapted to the difficult situation and properly managed obstacles caused by extreme heat, unpredictability of weather, unusual environment, and limited space. The cooling of the transformer will continue for the next few months.

To be updated on this story, or to read other stories on how EPS is supporting your community, please visit http://www.eleccommpowerservices.com.

Boston firefighters have been battling a smoky, electrical transformer fire in a utility building in Boston's Back Bay, that led to a huge power outage in the downtown area.

Emergency officials said Tuesday night there were no reports of injuries, but one person was taken to a hospital for minor respiratory problems. Fire officials said the smoke wasn't toxic, but people were advised to avoid it.

A local utility spokesman Mike Duran said a problem in one electrical substation spread to a second one. He said the power outage was affecting the Back Bay, Chinatown, the theater district, Kenmore Square and parts of the South End. He said once the damage is assessed the company will begin working to restore power with large generators.

Two hotels and nearby businesses were evacuated. Streets were closed in the area, and subway trains weren't stopping at stations there.

A local utility placed a call to ElecComm Power Services for emergency support.   ElecComm is currently loading in over 30 megawatts of emergency generated power into downtown Boston through miles of cable and many transformers. This is the largest emergency generator powered job in the city’s history . This event is so large a normally busy street that’s clogged with bumper-to-bumper morning traffic “Commonwealth  Avenue” is being used as an EPS equipment staging area. Stay tuned for updates.

A perfect example of the need for emergency power readiness has been this October winter storm we have experienced in the Northeast.  The combination of a bizarre snow storm combined with the weight of the leaves on the trees made for a “perfect storm” for power loss. Broken trees and limbs downed power lines all over Massachusetts, Connecticut, New Hampshire, Maine and Rhode Island.

Connecticut has almost 800,000 people without power and Governor Malloy says it’s the biggest power outage the state has ever had. Neighboring Massachusetts has 621,000 people without power and both states are expecting colder than usual temperatures for this time of year.

Schools, hospitals, shelters, assisted living facilities all need emergency power support, especially during this time of year when it gets so cold.

Shelters across Connecticut and Massachusetts are open around the clock and are offering a warm place to sleep and hot meals . Most of CT and MA look like the aftermath of a major bombing with the number of trees down. Roads are obstructed and the down power lines are dangerous.

This is an unprecedented storm for October and it’s broken records for October snowfall in many places in the North East.

Contact ElecComm Power Services to get your emergency power plans into place before the next big storm.

As in the scenario that presented itself this weekend in New England and New York where natural events come our way and we have notice of potential power failure, ElecComm Power Services can provide a wide range of EPSS equipment to meet the needs of a wide variety of businesses.

When we are aware of and ready for potential natural disasters, keep your business up and running and be pre-emptive. Contact ElecComm Power for an emergency generator before the loss of power. Commerce is severely disrupted when the power is lost.

Hospitals and Power companies cannot afford a loss of power. It is imperative that a dependable and reliable emergency power back up plan is in effect. Contact ElecComm Power to see how we can help you prepare for the next event.

All electricity companies have planned shut downs of their electric supplies for routine maintenance or upgrades to their facilities. As an electric company call ElecComm Power for your scheduled shut downs, a name and company that many power companies in New England trust.

Newington Energy has this to say about ElecComm Power Services: 

ElecComm Power Services has been our supplier of choice for all our temporary power needs. We have used them to supply power when performing planned substation maintenance or during times of need for emergency power for repairs. Their staff of highly-motivated, intelligent Project Managers and support staff are second to none in the energy rentals business. During a recent planned maintenance period, we mobilized 2MW of temporary generation to support our work. ElecComm Power Services delivered the generators, performed the connections and provided 24/7 coverage of the generators until the work was completed. Their team is the best of the best when we require temporary generation.

But they are not the only company that calls us, NSTAR Electric called us during an emergency situation. We supplied their customer with emergency power until NSTAR was able to get then back on commercial power. 

Hospital disaster plans include planning for power failures and energy emergencies.  It is important for hospitals and care facilities to planning for these kinds of internal disasters from both a patient treatment perspective as well as safety. With the loss of power in a hospital, there are power failure issues, beyond the obvious, that require attention. These include dealing with electrically locked doors, elevator and stairwell lighting, loss of critical care functioning, main computer system loss, and radiology equipment problems.

Here is an example of how Eleccomm Power helped New England Baptist Hospital

A Local hospital turned to Eleccomm Power Services during a power outage to keep the hospital running at full capacity. A rental generator unit was installed and on-line in less than 2 hours from the initial call.

ElecComm Power Services has provided NEBH with emergency generators during our most critical periods. Using EPS as our source for portable emergency power has allowed the hospital to remain fully operational during many challenging situations. Wes Warren - Director of Facilities & Clinical Engineering, NEBH

Emergency generator rentals are for those times when you experience a power outage. A  hurricane, tornado, or severe weather can leave your business without power.  At ElecComm Power Services we not only rents generators, we also rent chillers, heaters and  air-conditioners.

Since 2006, we have been dedicated to supporting our customers with their commercial generator needs. We offer a complete line of rental-ready generators. ElecComm rents generators to a wide variety of businesses from schools to hospitals, and hotels, office parks and supermarkets.  Even NSTAR and Newington Energy have sub-contract generator rentals from us to supplement their fleet during planned outages or during times major storm disasters.

In New England, a terrible winter of ice and snow storms and now tornados  have all created the need for generator rentals producing anywhere from 15 or 20 kW, to 1,500 and 2,000 kW.   

“ElecComm Power Services has been our supplier of choice for all our temporary power needs. We have used them to supply power when performing planned substation maintenance or during times when we’ve needed emergency power for repairs. Their staff of highly-motivated, intelligent Project Managers and support staff are second to none in the energy rentals business. During a recent planned maintenance period, we mobilized 2MW of temporary generation to support our work. ElecComm Power Services delivered the generators, performed the connections and provided 24/7 coverage of the generators until the work was completed. Their team is the best of the best when we require temporary generation. Chad Harrison - Maintenance Manager, Newington Energy LLC.

It’s a simple process to go for a rental in respect of any electrical equipment for your business or construction site. Therefore, if your generator refuses to work or if you want the rental of generator for such time as your generator is on maintenance it’s now possible to do so. You may resort to a rental of generator when your requirement is of a temporary nature as in a construction site or a special event venue. You can rent a generator in a very wide range of from 25 kW to 2000 kW capacity. You maybe in the business of producing movies and you may require the generator for that purpose.

You may require a generator for tower power in case you are in the telecom line. Whatever be your line of work, you can hire a generator suited for the task.

Therefore, the generator for your movie production would be absolutely silent in operation while the tower power kind of generator would be an environmentally-friendly generator with a double wall fuel cell for extended runtime. You could order a rental load bank as well. The 1000 kW kind of load bank would not be affected by rain and is rated for outdoor. This load bank is recommended a cool down period though it’s not a compulsion. The 360 kW type of rental load bank is rated for indoors and has a 5 kW resolution. It can go through a standard doorway quite easily and does not require an external power.

Organizations lease emergency generators for a number of reasons, with fixing emergency energy blackouts, supplying electric power throughout a planned project which will compromise commercial power, and meeting a temporary surge in energy demand being the most typical. Just about all firms of support generation devices supply them over a single or a group basis, using the latter increasingly being usual for local power failures as well as blackouts in large facilities. As well as leasing electrical generator equipment, providers of emergency power generator rentals rent other electric powered equipment as well, such as Load Banks, electrical distribution units, fuel tanks, and various power accessories.

1. Load Bank Equipment. Load Banks are usually employed to test power sources to ensure their best function under the true to life conditions that Load Banks simulate by creating a power load and applying it to a power source.

Load Banks are available in four kinds: electronic, whose power may be designed toward precise circuits, and are appropriate for testing circuit breakers, fuse boxes, and automated transfer switches; resistive, which get rid off equivalent numbers of energy from an operating system, and so are well suited for testing power generators; capacitive, which create an increased power factor, and are perfect for testing systems that experience horizontal loads; and inductive, which simulate the vitality utilized by numerous building elements at the same time, and so are well suited for testing voltage regulators and generators. Load Banks for Switch Gear Maintenance A Load Bank may also be used to aid conserve switch gear, giving a current for the gear that mimics a commercial supply line current that signifies an upcoming outage. An electronic Load Bank or even a resistive Load Bank might be employed for this test.

2. Electrical Distribution Units. Distribution units work as electrical power distribution hubs within an electrical system. Familiar instances of rented distribution equipment are: transformers that feature rugged, all weather construction and are available in low voltage and high voltage design; transportable, all weather electrical panels which facilitate loads as low as 100 amps and loads of up to 2,000 amps; and condensed switchboards that facilitate loads of up to 3,000 amps.

3. Fuel Tanks. If you need power generators for over 48 hours, you may want to lease additional Diesel engine fuel tanks to power them. The tanks are available in one wall and double design, using the last option being optimum for development sites. A few power solutions providers offer contract choices to refuel rental tanks normally as necessary.

4. Power Accessories. When ever choosing major electric power equipment, it is also common to lease the accessories that facilitate its use, such as cable ramps, load share panels, cable bins, cable T's and quad box strings. Despite the fact that electricity add-ons are easy to find, leasing them along with the equipment that you need them for eventually ends up saving money.

Business owners rent emergency power generators for emergency electric power outages, to supply power within a planned project which would normally compromise commercial power, and most frequently, to meet a short lived rise in energy demand. ElecComm Power is a supplier of back-up generators. In addition to leasing electrical generator equipment, we lease other electrical equipment as well, such as load banks, fuel tanks, transformers and other power cable and distribution panels and accessories.

Load Banks are normally utilized to test power sources to make sure their appropriate function under the true to life conditions that load banks duplicate through making a power load and employing it to a power source. There are a number types of load banks. Electronic load banks, whose power may be developed for exact circuits, so they are ideal for checking circuit breakers, fuse boxes, and robotic transfer switches; resistive, which take out equal amounts of energy from an operating-system, and used for testing power generators; capacitive, which create an increased power factor, and are perfect for testing systems that have horizontal loads; and inductive, which simulate the vitality used by numerous building elements at the same time, and so are perfect for testing voltage regulators and generators.

If you need generators for more than two days, you may want to rent additional diesel powered fuel tanks to power them. ElecComm Power Services provides safe and efficient fuel tanks. We offer single-walled or double-walled skidded tanks. They are available in the following sizes: 500-1000 gallons.

While renting major electric power equipment, it is also common to lease the accessories that are used with them, such as cable ramps, load share panels, cable bins, and cable T's. Although electricity accessories are easy to come by, renting them with the equipment you need ends up costing your business less money.