ElecComm Power Services Blog

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.

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.

We don’t often give electricity much thought until we don’t have it. In these situations, especially in business, consider Emergency Power Supply System (EPSS) rentals.

When commercial electricity is unavailable, when commercial electricity is difficult to supply, and when an emergency generator is offline ElecComm Power is the EPSS supplier in New England and New York.
Companies and organizations that need emergency power supply services need to consider generator rentals.

When comparing generator rental prices, be sure you are comparing apples to apples. The cost includes: the type of fuel, pickup or delivery, the length of the contract, the voltage, and any special features. Keep in mind that a unit that uses natural gas, or a natural gas and diesel mixture, instead of pure diesel will be more economical. When the equipment is needed long-term your best option is a lease agreement instead of a rental contract.

Keep in mind too that the size or type of the unit you need is entirely dependant on your voltage requirements. A unit that is too small can result in power failure or unsafe situations; a unit that is too large is just a waste of money. Be sure to consult with ElecComm Power when considering your generator needs.

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. 

Emergency power supply system (EPSS) rentals are helpful in many situations, but here are three specific circumstances: any time commercial electricity is inaccessible, any time commercial electricity is hard to supply by regular means, and when a facility's emergency generator is offline for servicing, repair, retrofitting, or even replacement. In such instances, businesses and organizations choose emergency power supply services that offer EPSS rentals, such as ElecComm Power. 

In many cases, just a generator is needed to supply power. But in others, additional EPSS equipment like power distribution units and connector cables are also required. In these cases, ElecComm Power can help prospective renters carefully plan for their total power supply needs, including equipment rentals to aid generator performance.

Here is an example:
EPS was chosen by the municipality of Braintree, MA to provide a contingency power plan for the entire town while new construction was being performed to their electrical system.

EPS’s plan included 10 MW’s of portable generators along with (5) 480v step-up to 13.8kv transformers and all associated cabling. Equipment was tested and staged at a local lay down yard and could be mobilized within an hour of the initial call. ElecComm’s ability to provide the equipment and quick response time were the deciding factors in awarding this work.