When a meter alert showed irregular supply voltage from powerlines in a remote region in Queensland, Bluecurrent immediately took action.
One home faced life-threatening harm from the electrical hazard, which Bluecurrent was able to resolve on the spot.
Bluecurrent general manager – engineering, electronic and hardware Trent Coster discussed the company’s proactive approach to resolving issues.
“Our data lake monitoring system continuously scans for abnormal power quality readings, so we can identify issues before involving the customer,” he said.
“After detecting the unusual voltage readings, our metering subject matter expert (SME) in Queensland worked with the energy retailer to alert the resident at the property. The resident said that the lights had been flickering, and they had felt a tingling sensation when touching metal surfaces. This confirmed to the technician that there was a hazardous supply neutral and urgent action was required.”
Working together, the network, retailer and Bluecurrent organised a rapid response and despite the remote location of the property, Bluecurrent’s technician arrived within 24 hours.
“Safety testing confirmed a failed neutral supply to the site and the technician was able to repair the fault immediately,” Coster said.
“The safe outcome was thanks to collaboration with partners, and the team’s alertness, which prevented a potentially devastating electrical event.”
Health, safety and wellbeing flow through everything Bluecurrent does. Using power quality data, the company is launching new products and services to help safety outcomes in the event of an outage.
Low voltage outages can be hard to detect, especially when they affect a small number of homes. By using smart meters as sensors on the network, issues can be resolved sooner, and safety for Bluecurrent customers and the community can be assured.
Find out more about Bluecurrent here.
