Trees are a great way to naturally conserve energy by providing shade for your home. To maintain reliable service and minimize outages, it is important that we maintain trees and other vegetation along the lines that deliver electricity to our customers.
Why We Do It
Beaches Energy is committed to protecting the safety of the public, customers and our employees. We trim trees to:
- Prevent unsafe conditions for the community and our lineman
Trees conduct electricity and can create hazards when branches grow too close to power lines, which can cause electrocution for anyone who comes in contact.
- Maintain reliable service and prevent power outages
Our #1 objective is to provide electrical service to homes and businesses in our community. When tree branches come in contact with power lines, they can cause outages or fires, especially during a thunderstorm.
How We Do It
Crews will trim or remove vegetation that is growing too close to an overhead power line. We use a technique called “directional trimming” to train trees to grow away from overhead lines. This is healthier for trees and reduces future trimming. While this may not always improve the appearance of the tree, it is the responsible way to keep our beach communities safe and electric service reliable.
When We Do it
Beaches Energy inspects and trims around high voltage lines annually and around distribution lines through neighborhoods every 2 years to ensure public safety.
Plan Before You Plant
Trees are a beautiful way to enhance your home’s landscape. Just remember to consider a tree’s height and width before planting in your yard. Think about how large a tree will grow in 10 or 25 years and consider power lines, sidewalks, driveways, and fences that might be affected by growing limbs.
An easy rule of thumb is to plant your tree at least half the length of its estimated mature limb span from any nearby structures.
For questions and information about Beaches Energy vegetation management, please call 904-247-6241.