Menu
DES announces outage maps and automatic reporting program
By WILLIAM NORTHCUTT
Staff reporter
The Dyersburg Electric System Power (DES) Board met on Monday, September 30, for a session that included a demonstration of a new online service that allows customers to see outage maps and which automatically reports outages to DES.
Board members present included Chairman David Hayes, Walt Bradshaw, Rawlin Fowlkes, Tommy Allmon, and Dennis Moody.
Others in attendance were City Attorney John Lannom, DES President/CEO Robby Richards, Dyersburg Electric V.P. of Finance/Secretary Danielle Dixon, DES V.P. of Construction and Maintenance Jake Weatherly, and DES V.P. of Information Technology Alan Davis.
New outage map service
Davis presented the new service and said that “It’s designed to give the customer a better experience…and is a better way to communicate outages to the customer.” DES rolled it out to the public on September 30 and has posted a link and a QR code on their website and social media pages. It can be found at www.despower.com. It covers the areas serviced by DES and allows customers to see a map which indicates outage spots.
While Davis and Richards said they will be adapting it to customer and DES needs over time. “There will be tweaking as we go with it,” remarked Richards. He also said the hope is to “cut down on phone traffic” when an outage occurs.
Davis said that one of the pluses for customers is that DES will be alerted immediately when there is an outage. He pointed out that DES will also know immediately when power is restored. Too, they will be using GPS on its trucks to know what is being serviced and where. Crews will be able to use the maps without having to call in for information about the next jobs. DES will be able to see on their maps the locations of transformers so that if, for example, several houses in the same area are hit with an outage, it will be better able to pinpoint a problem. For both customers and DES, the maps will have weather features for when storms roll in.
Hayes said, “You’ll want to educate the public about how to use it” but noted that the program “is a great start.” Davis confirmed that the information is already live.
Richards stated that when it comes to the number of outages, “We have a good record.” He said that DES often goes a month “with just one or two.” That allows for the company to save, making the purchase of other program features unnecessary.
Actionable items: uncollectible debt and audit report
Richards noted that he had moved the balance to uncollectible debt of what remained to be paid from the defunct and bankrupt Dyersburg Elevator Company and that this explained, with minor amounts for customer debts, an uncollectible total of $11,284. The suit had been settled, with DES, which had been awarded $50,000. [See the State Gazette article from June 30 at www.stategazette.com/story/3001301.html]. Bradshaw made a motion to accept the total, and Fowlkes seconded, the motion carrying unanimously.
The board then heard from the audit committee, headed by Bradshaw. He reported that auditors had given them “ a clean report,” with “no findings.” The board approved unanimously with a motion by Hayes and a second by Allmon.
CEO and department reports
Richards reported that DES workers have completed 2,655 days without a lost time accident and that the last such incident was reported on June 24, 2017. He noted that residential customer sales were up slightly over last year and that August’s mean temperature was 77.7 degrees. He also reminded the board that TVA, from whom DES buys their electricity, is increasing their rates by 5.25% on October 1, 2024.
Weatherly reported that a recent 10 year inspection of poles was successful. DES has in place 1022 poles, and out of those, he said, “There were only 24 rejects—right where we want to be.” He said that the outside inspectors hold DES up as a model for best practices.
Hayes asked, “Do other systems inspect their poles?” Weatherly responded, “No, some just wait for them to fall.” Folkes asked, “How long do poles last?” Weather replied, “Most last 50-60 years. Steel poles can last 80-100 years.” While he noted that because of fertilizers, poles in farming fields sometimes have to be replaced sooner, DES takes measures to protect their steel poles.