1207 Indianapolis Ave.P.O. Box 563, Lebanon, IN 46052Office hours: 7:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m.800-897-7362 | bremc.comEmail: info@bremc.com

TWO METHODSThere are two methods of installing the power lines that carry electricity to your home, overhead and underground. Boone REMC members might be curious why we use one versus the other or why all power lines are not installed using the

underground construc-tion method.

Overhead line construc-

tion starts with the setting of utility poles. Poles can be set in nearly any type of terrain, even rocky. In the case of heavy rock, special equipment is used to augur out the hole. If placement occurs in boggy or wet terrain, many techniques are available to set poles securely. Once the poles are in place, wires are strung and then equipment — like trans-formers, fuses and reclosers — is installed.

Underground line construc-tion requires digging a trench that is deep enough to keep the lines well away from surface activities. Next, wires are laid in the trench directly or placed

in conduits for protection, and then the trench is filled in. Padmount transformers and additional equipment are installed as needed. Where the terrain is extremely rocky, underground lines may not be an option.

Let’s take a look at some the ad-vantages and disadvantages of each construction method, beginning with overhead.

OVERHEAD CONSTRUCTION Pros: Lower cost; quicker construction; easier to spot damage and faults; less expensive to repair and upgrade; can be built anywhere; any voltage can be placed overhead.

Cons: Susceptible to wind, ice and snow; more vulnerable to damage from trees and vegetation, which requires right-of-way trimming; vulnerable to blinks when animals and branches contact lines; susceptible to damage from vehicle colli-sions; less attractive.

UNDERGROUND CONSTRUCTION Pros: Not vulnerable to damage from tree branches; no right-of-way trimming re-quired; less susceptible to damage from vehicle collisions; not impacted by wind, ice and snow; less vulnerable to blinks when animals and branches contact lines.

Cons: More expensive to build and repair;

shorter life than overhead lines; suscep-tible to flooding; difficult to locate faults; fed by overhead lines at some point, making the lines vulnerable to outages and interruptions; limitations on voltages that can be buried underground; can be vulnerable to dig-ins.

THE BEST APPROACHDetermining if power lines should be overhead or underground boils down to what is best for the situation. Under-ground lines might be ideal where there are a lot of trees or if there is a desire to keep the poles and wires out of sight, such as a residential neighborhood, park or historical area. There are many cities and towns that construct only under-ground lines for a variety of reasons.

Overhead systems work well when appearance is not a major concern. Examples include extremely long line distances across country, where the volt-ages are higher than the limitations set for underground lines.

The ultimate mix of underground and overhead construction used by Boone REMC provides you, our members, with the highest possible quality of service at the lowest possible price. Cost, appear-ance, reliability, maintenance and future upgrades will drive which is the better approach, overhead or underground.

Power lines: Overhead or underground?

August 2016

Annual meeting to feature

breakfast, video, prizesThe next Boone REMC annual mem-bership meeting will be held Saturday, March 4, 2017, at Lebanon High School. Breakfast will be served in the Her-man B Wells Community Center, and a video presentation and prize drawings will take place in the auditorium. Mark your calendar and stay tuned for more details!

Recent Round Up grants• Community Foundation of Boone County received $2,000 to assist with a College Costs Estimator Workshop.• Love INC of Boone County was awarded $2,900 to help expand its Transformational Ministries program.• United Way of Central Indiana - Boone County was granted $1,000 to assist with the 2016 Backpack Attack program.

Learn more about Operation Round Up at www.bremc.com/community/grants/.

QUICK JOLTS

Interested in installing surge protection? Did you know Boone REMC sells surge protection equipment and in-stalls it at no cost to our members? Learn more at www.bremc.com/services/surge-protection/. If you would like more information, call our Energy Advisor Rex Princell at 800-897-7362.

Boone REMC, together with other Indi-ana electric cooperatives, is accepting applications for awards that recog-nize the community spirit of Indiana’s youth.

The Youth Power and Hope Awards program honors students in fifth through eighth grades who are leaders in their communities and whose parents live on electric cooperative lines.

Five winners from throughout Indi-ana will be invited to attend a special program in their honor downtown Indianapolis. The guest speaker at the reception will be Oliver Luck, NCAA executive vice president of regulatory affairs and father of Indianapolis Colts Quarterback Andrew Luck. In addition,

winners will be featured in Electric Consumer, a magazine for electric cooperative members in Indiana.

“One of the founding principles of Boone REMC is a com-mitment to community,” said Mandy Saucerman, communications and marketing specialist. “We are proud to be a part of recognizing the commu-nity service efforts of our

youth.”Past award recipients include stu-

dents who have initiated a coat drive for the underprivileged, worked with special needs children, and more.

Applications are available at www.bremc.com/community/youth-pro-grams; submission deadline is Friday, Sept. 30.

Electric co-ops to honor students with heart for service