BC Hydro couldn’t immediately find the cause of a series of short power outages that took place in the Rice Road area, near Herd Road, during the morning of Jan. 20.
But BC Hydro's Ted Olynyk said that, as the outages occurred during the coldest morning of the year up to then, the power company suspects they are related to the increased load, and/or to the construction of the new Cowichan District Hospital a few blocks away.
“Our operations department is reviewing opportunities to shift loads between different lines and change settings to help with this issue,” he said. “Once the work is completed at the new hospital, we will be able to go back to the original configuration for the area. We apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused our customers.
Rice Road resident Barry Kirby said he momentarily lost his power four times on the morning of Jan. 20, playing havoc with his computer and other electronic equipment that could prove to be costly for him.
Last fall, a number of other residents in the area complained about intermittent power outages at their homes since the middle of October that lasted approximately 15 seconds each time, but it was enough to interfere with the working of their heat pumps, computers, clocks and other electronic equipment every time the power went out.
BC Hydro said at the time that the problems began when the power company reconfigured how electricity is supplied to some of its customers in the area to allow for key upgrades to electrical infrastructure which will eventually support the new hospital, but the problem was quickly resolved.
BC Hydro’s website said the company works hard to provide safe and reliable service to its customers, but it doesn’t guarantee a constant supply of electricity.
“Because of this, we can’t be held responsible for loss, injury or damage caused by an interruption or defect in the supply of electricity,” the company said.
However, BC Hydro said it does consider all damage claims on an individual basis to ensure fair and consistent treatment.
“In cases where we consider compensation, you’re required to provide proof of damage or losses and must keep damaged items until the claim has been settled by all parties involved,” the company said. “We’ll require original repair bills or estimates as supporting proof. Requests for such proof are not construed as an agreement to pay a claim.”