Much of the damage from power quality issues can be prevented if you have the right protection for your equipment. For example, look for "battery backup" and "ride-through" protection features when purchasing new home appliances. Grounding Transient Voltage Surge Suppressors (TVSS) Battery Backup Units Wiring Dedicated Circuits Isolation Transformers Voltage Regulators Power Line Conditioners ________________________________________ Grounding Proper grounding is the first step in making your equipment less prone to damage. Solid ground is also essential to the safe and reliable operation of electrical equipment. Electrical grounding ensures that if there is ever a short on a piece of electrical equipment, current will flow through the ground system to trip a breaker or blow a fuse, thereby providing protection from injury or electrocution. Grounding also is the primary path through which a Transient Voltage Surge Suppressor dissipates energy from an electrical transient. Equally important is that grounds for electric, cable TV, phone, and other utility services be bonded together at the service entrance. This is a requirement of the National Electric Code. If you have a ground rod and the cable or phone lines are not bonded to it, contact the appropriate company and ask them to assess the system. In most instances, it is their responsibility to bond these to your grounding system. Transient Voltage Surge Suppressors (TVSS) These provide protection from extremely fast disturbances (millionths of a second to a few milliseconds) in voltage. These are the simplest and most common form of equipment protection. They do not provide protection from voltage sags, voltage swells, noise, outages, or harmonics. Every piece of electrical equipment is subject to transients. To what extent you protect the equipment will depend on the type of problems it might be susceptible to and how valuable it is to you. Effective transient protection requires the coordination of large capacity devices at your service entrance along with progressively lower voltage clamping devices inside. Transient Voltage Surge Suppressors (TVSS) placed inside also protect your equipment from any internally generated transients. There are three main categories of TVSS: Service Entrance, frequently referred to as "whole house", Sub-Panel/Distribution Panel, and Sub-Panel/Receptacle. These three types should be used together to provide a complete protection system. Make sure to also put protection on all incoming phone, data, and cable TV lines. For equipment with power and data ports, such as fax machines, answering machines, or cable TVs, use protective devices which provide protection for both the power and data ports. If you have an outside antenna or satellite dish, protect these as well. Battery Backup Units These are designed to provide a supply of regulated voltage for a period of time after power failure. These devices fall into two basic categories: standby power supplies (SPS) and uninterruptible power supplies (UPS). Standby power supplies use the incoming utility power and only switch over to battery if power is interrupted. There is a transfer time (usually a few milliseconds) for the SPS to sense an outage and switch to batteries. UPS units, on the other hand, provide a continuous source of "conditioned" power through an inverter or converter. There is no transfer time when an outage occurs. These devices are the more expensive of the two battery backup units. SPS and UPS sometimes also come with noise suppression and transient protection built in. Wiring Most buildings are originally constructed with sufficient wiring to handle the electrical load at the time of construction. However, as your electrical needs change and your usage increases, you may experience wiring issues. A circuit breaker that trips on a regular basis or lights that dim or flicker are indications you may have an electrical problem. If you notice any of these warning signs, you should immediately contact a licensed electrician. Dedicated Circuits You may want to consider placing sensitive equipment on a separate circuit that supplies power only to that device. Computers and other electronic equipment should not be plugged into the same circuit that provides power to a large motor-driven appliance (ex. air conditioner) or equipment that has a high start-up current (ex. photocopiers, laser printers). Always consult a licensed electrician before making any modifications to your electrical circuitry. Isolation Transformers Isolation transformers are generally installed to reduce electrical noise to sensitive electronics. Voltage Regulators These are designed to provide a constant voltage output in the event of voltage sags or swells on the incoming line. Power Line Conditioners Typical conditioners provide voltage regulation along with transient voltage surge suppression and noise reduction. While an all in one package is convenient, it is fairly expensive. Please Identify Your Service Area Click on your district on the map, or select a zip code or town from the lists. Select Your District on the Map Below or By Zip Code Select your zip code 04401 04402 04408 04410 04411 04412 04414 04415 04416 04417 04418 04419 04422 04423 04426 04427 04428 04429 04430 04435 04444 04448 04449 04450 04453 04455 04456 04457 04459 04460 04461 04462 04463 04468 04469 04471 04472 04473 04474 04475 04476 04479 04481 04489 04493 04495 04496 04497 04605 04606 04607 04609 04611 04612 04613 04614 04615 04616 04617 04622 04623 04624 04625 04626 04627 04628 04629 04630 04631 04634 04635 04640 04642 04643 04644 04646 04648 04649 04650 04652 04653 04654 04655 04656 04658 04660 04662 04664 04666 04667 04669 04672 04673 04674 04675 04676 04677 04679 04680 04681 04683 04684 04685 04691 04693 04730 04732 04733 04734 04735 04736 04737 04738 04739 04740 04741 04742 04743 04744 04745 04746 04747 04750 04751 04756 04757 04758 04760 04761 04762 04763 04764 04765 04766 04768 04769 04772 04773 04774 04775 04776 04777 04779 04780 04781 04783 04785 04786 04787 04928 04930 04932 04939 or By Town Select Your Town Addison Allagash Alton Amherst Argyle Twp Ashland Ashville Atkinson Aurora Bangor Bar Harbor Barnard Twp Bass Harbor Beals Bear Island Beddington Beech Hill Benedicta Bernard Birch Harbor Blaine Blue Hill Blue Hill Falls Bowerbank Bradford Bradley Brewer Bridgewater Brooklin Brooksville Brownville Brownville Jct Bucks Harbor Bucksport Burlington Cardville Caribou Carmel Castle Hill Caswell Centerville Chapman Charleston Cherryfield Chester Clayton Lake Clifton Columbia Columbia Falls Connor Corea Corinna Corinth Costigan Cranberry Island Crouseville Crystal Cutler Cyr Plantation Deblois Dedham Deer Isle Dennysville Derby Dexter Dixmont Dover-Foxcroft Dyer Brook Eagle Lake East Blue Hill East Machias East Millinocket Eastbrook Easton Eastport Ebeemee Twp Eddington Edinburg Edmunds Twp Ellsworth Enfield Estcourt Station Exeter Fort Fairfield Fort Kent Fort Kent Mills Franklin Frenchboro Frenchville Garfield Garland Glenburn Gouldsboro Grand Isle Great Pond Green Lake Greenbush Greenfield Twp Guerette Hall Quarry Hamlin Hammond Hampden Hancock Harborside Harrington Hermon Hersey Holden Houlton Howland Hudson Hulls Cove Indian Island Island Falls Islesford Jacksonville Jonesboro Jonesport Kenduskeag Lagrange Lakeview Plt Lamoine Larrabee Lee Levant Lille Limestone Lincoln Lincoln Ctr Little Deer Isle Littleton Loring Afb Lowell Lubec Lucerne Ludlow Machias Machiasport Madawaska Manset Mapleton Mariaville Marion Twp Mars Hill Marshfield Masardis Mattamiscontis Twp Mattawamkeag Maxfield Medford Medway Merrill Milbridge Milford Millinocket Milo Molunkus Twp Monticello Moro Plantation Mt Desert Nashville Naskeag New Canada New Limerick New Sweden Newburgh Northeast Harbor Northfield Oakfield Olamon Old Town Orient Orland Orneville Twp Orono Orrington Osborn Otis Otter Creek Oxbow Passadumkeag Passamaquoddy Res Patten Pembroke Penobscot Perham Perry Plaisted Pleasant Point Portage Presque Isle Pretty Marsh Prospect Harbor Quimby Roque Bluffs Saint David Saint Francis Saint John Salsbury Cove Sargentville Seal Cove Seal Harbor Seawall Sebec Seboeis Plt Sedgwick Sheridan Sherman Silver Ridge Sinclair Smyrna Mills Soldier Pond Somes Sound Somesville Sorrento South Blue Hill Southwest Harbor Squa Pan T11, R4,7,B St Agatha Stacyville Starboard Steuben Stillwater Stockholm Stonington Sullivan Sunset Sunshine Surry Sutton Island Swan's Island Town Hill Tremont Trenton Trescott Twp Upper Frenchville Van Buren Veazie Wader Wallagrass Waltham Washburn West Tremont Westfield Westmanland Whiting Whitneyville Williamsburg Twp Winn Winter Harbor Winterport Winterville Woodville Wytopitlock Versant Power provides electric delivery service to two areas – the Bangor Hydro District and the Maine Public District. The Bangor Hydro District includes Hancock, Piscataquis and Washington Counties and most of Penobscot County. The Maine Public District serves Aroostook County and a small piece of Penobscot County. Because some information varies by District, please identify your District on the map above, or enter your town or zipcode. If you need information on both Districts, switch back and forth at any time by selecting the district selector button. If the browser you are using has cookies enabled, you will only have to make this selection once.( If your browser has cookies disabled your selection will be remembered until you close the browser, but not when you return to the site.)
Versant Power provides electric delivery service to two areas – the Bangor Hydro District and the Maine Public District. The Bangor Hydro District includes Hancock, Piscataquis and Washington Counties and most of Penobscot County. The Maine Public District serves Aroostook County and a small piece of Penobscot County. Because some information varies by District, please identify your District on the map above, or enter your town or zipcode. If you need information on both Districts, switch back and forth at any time by selecting the district selector button. If the browser you are using has cookies enabled, you will only have to make this selection once.( If your browser has cookies disabled your selection will be remembered until you close the browser, but not when you return to the site.)