North Canterbury News: September 07, 2023

LIVE LINES
Issue 221 September 2023
Hot water control frequently asked questions
MainPower continuously monitors and controls the load on the
network to ensure asecure, reliable supply of electricity.
Sometimes, during periods of peak electricity consumption, MainPower
switches off electricity supplied to hot water cylinders for ashort time
to make sure the network is not overloaded.
How does load control work?
Electrical load on the network is continuously monitored through our
network control system. When areas of the network approach peak
load, signals are sent out through the network to switch off the hot
water cylinders inthe affected area.
In New Zealand, most hot water cylinders are controlled in this way
by the regional electricity distribution business. Customers who allow
their hot water to be controlled will typically pay lower rates on their
power bills. To learn more about your electricity billing, contact your
electricity retailer.
When does MainPower control
electricity delivered to hot water
cylinders?
Like roading networks, electricity networks experience peak times
when demand is high and capacity is near the limit. On aroading
network, this would look like arush hour traffic jam.
Peak times onthe MainPower network typically occur on cold winter
mornings and evenings (when most customers are running heaters,
lights and other appliances at once), or in summer when irrigators
and air conditioning are running at full capacity. Hot water cylinders
are remotely controlled by MainPower when the electricity network is
experiencing high load.
Does load control affect the whole
network at once?
Only the partofthe network that is nearing peak load will be controlled.
electricity retailer.
These signals are called ‘ripples’ and reach ‘ripple receivers’ fitted to
the meter board at each house or business, signalling them to switch
off the hot water cylinder. Hot water cylinders are switched back on as
soon as the load on the network starts to reduce.
MainPower limits the amount of load control to four-hours within any
eight-hour period. In most cases, the effects of load control aren’t
noticed by customers. Hot water cylinders store enough heat to stay
hot throughout the four-hour window, aswell as meeting an average
household’s hot water needs.
Does MainPower control irrigator
load?
Irrigatorsuse alarge amount of electricity.Irrigatorsonthe MainPower
network may be connected to our emergency load control system.
Houses, sheds etc. are not connected to the emergency load control
system. Irrigation load is not controlled to manage load on aseasonal
basis, unlike hot water.
If MainPower needs to urgently decrease the load on the network,
we may turn off the electricity supply to irrigators. This is to ensure
continued supply across the region and only happens in extremely
rare, emergency situations. If it is necessary to turn off irrigators,
MainPower will try to contact affected customers, however this may
not always be possible in an emergency.
What appliances are affected by load
control?
In New Zealand, electricity supply to most hot water cylinders can be
controlled through ripple signals.
In some rare, emergency situations, MainPower may also turn off
electricity supply to irrigators through the same ripple control system.
To learn more about us and what
we are doing in your community,
head to our website.
MainPower 24 Hour
Faults Line
mainpower.co.nz 0800 30 90 80