NYSEG and RG&E improve restoration time accuracy

Companies review estimates daily to improve process; estimates 50% more accurate & timely than 2 years ago

Avangrid Press Release

Safe, reliable electricity is so completely woven into the fabric of modern life that any power outage is an interruption to our daily routines.

New York State Electric & Gas (NYSEG) and Rochester Gas and Electric (RG&E) are keenly in tune with this fact, and that’s why managing the process for generating and communicating estimated times of restoration, or ETRs, is a priority for the companies – so that their customers can plan for the return to normalcy. Thanks to the focus on this metric, the companies have seen a 50% improvement in well-managed, credible estimates for outages over the past two years.

“We know that accurate and timely information is the No. 1 thing we can do to improve the overall customer experience when there’s a power outage,” said Will Nichols, senior director of the Energy Control Center for NYSEG and RG&E. “We meet every morning as a team to review any ETRs that don’t meet our ‘well-managed’ criteria, assign a cause to them, and track those causes to find trends that we can address.”

A well-managed ETR falls within a set period around the actual restoration – up to 90 minutes before to within 15 after. While an outage is automatically assigned a default estimate when it occurs, field crews may update this once they’ve assessed the damage to the equipment and begun working on restoration. One measure of an estimate’s success is not changing that prediction too often, though it’s sometimes unavoidable as repairs progress. The companies also try to inform customers of a reason for the outage as early as possible in the process.

As part of this focus, the companies have rolled out improvements to their mobile apps, like a banner with a clickable link to outage maps, as well as a pop-up notification for updates during outages. These enhancements help customers stay informed when their power is out, so that they can plan more effectively.

The safe and reliable delivery of electric and natural gas service is the No. 1 priority for NYSEG and RG&E. Well-managed ETRs are an important part of that goal. Power outages are unavoidable, whether caused by falling trees and tree limbs, animal contacts, or motor vehicle accidents, but when timely estimates for restoration are paired with the investments the companies are making to improve the grid – more than $2 billion over the next few years – customer satisfaction is inevitable.

4,500 upgraded electrical poles

NYSEG and RG&E continue taking the necessary steps to modernize their grid, providing safe and reliable service for their customers. The companies are upgrading 45,000 electrical poles across their service areas in New York state through 2026. These upgrades are part of the $2.1 billion in infrastructure investments in the companies’ “Reliable Energy New York Plan” that will improve service and reliability.

NYSEG is investing more than $750 million and RG&E is investing more than $270 million in their asset condition replacement programs to improve poles. One in 10 electrical poles are in need of upgrades. In 2023, the utilities upgraded approximately 25,000 utility poles across their service areas, which surpasses the average yearly pole upgrades.

“As the state continues to face harsh and more frequent storms, it’s critical to invest in stronger and more durable poles to reduce the frequency and duration of outages for customers,” said Mike Craven, vice president of electric operations for NYSEG and RG&E. “This is also a good time to remind motorists to use caution as they see crews in the field. Slow down so our crews can complete their work safely.”

In 2019, NYSEG and RG&E upgraded to larger wood poles to help improve storm resiliency. Poles are inspected and, in some cases, given a treatment to extend the life of the pole. Utility poles are modernized based on condition and as part of regular system upgrades. In 2023, 18,500 poles were enhanced in NYSEG territory, and 6,329 poles in RG&E’s service areas.

This continuous work also helps keep up with the growing demands in energy use across the state. Upgraded poles support the state’s ConnectALL program, helping meet the goal of building New York state’s digital infrastructure, connecting all New Yorkers through the internet.

NYSEG and RG&E continue to improve the resiliency of the companies’ electric distribution systems and deployment of grid automation tools to create an intelligent system to detect outages and quickly restore power. These grid investments are needed across the country for resiliency and capacity for the clean energy transition. Customers want improvements to the aging grid and to know they can rely on the electric grid to meet their energy needs. These investments help realize those goals.