Automated outage reporting: operational response or customer service?

Until recently, utility power outages have been reported by angry customers over the telephone. Modern distribution automation systems have addressed this inconvenience by providing an automatic "power out" message. These devices report even though the local power lines may be severed and then reports back to the utility as soon as power has been restored. By correlating both the "power out" and the "power restored" messages within the power outage system, utility operating crews can coordinate their efforts to the needs of their system without spending an inordinate amount of time tracing down each tap to insure that there were not multiple trouble spots along the same feeder. After realizing the operational benefits of pinpointing outages and managing the restoration effort, the same system can be deployed universally to all utility customers that are willing to pay a nominal monthly fee for this premium service.<>