The power will be out in part of Mt Albert overnight as Vector carries out planned maintenance.
The power will be out in part of Mt Albert overnight as Vector carries out planned maintenance.
She’ll be dressed in her merino sleep suit, with the heat pump blasting till the electricity goes off, but a Mt Albert dad is still worried for his 18-month-old daughter’s health when the power goes out tonight.
Lines company Vector is switching off power in Tasman Ave as temperatures fall to 6C overnight, part of planned maintenance the dad thinks should be delayed until temperatures are warmer.
The outage is scheduled for 10pm till 6am.
It isn’t clear how many properties are impacted, but the man - who asked not to be named - thought neighbours in Segar Ave and Fontenoy and Rawalpindi streets may also be affected.
“My concern is it doesn’t feel like this maintenance is urgent, and the lack of flexibility on the coldest week of the year.”
Health advice was to keep temperatures in babies’ rooms to between 16C and 20C, but that would be impossible without electricity, he said.
“[And] she’s too young to have blankets. She’d just kick them off anyway.”
Other families with young children, and the elderly, were also at risk.
“Half the houses in our street are old, state houses.”
He was grateful Vector had given adequate warning of the outage, but was still frustrated his concerns - outlined in several email exchanges with the lines company - had been to no avail.
“I feel like I’m talking to a brick wall.”
There were a few reasons why the work in Mt Albert was taking place overnight, including Auckland Transport traffic management requirements, a Vector spokeswoman said.
“It’s a significant piece of work, near a busy road, and by doing the work at night it avoids causing major traffic disruption. There are also several businesses, and a medical clinic, that would be affected by a daytime outage.
“As with all our planned outages we think long and hard about how to find the least disruptive time for the majority of those who will be affected.”
Planned maintenance was critical to maintaining the reliability of the power network, which comprised 19,000 kilometres of power lines and thousands of other parts of infrastructure to provide a reliable supply to more than 600,000 homes and businesses year round.
Where possible - and in this case - customers were given 10 days notice about planned outages, so they have time to prepare, she said.
“A significant amount of planning goes into our maintenance programme, always with a view to minimising the impact on customers if we can.”
The work was to make necessary repairs on power lines, but Auckland Transport traffic management requirements meant it couldn’t be done during the day, the Vector spokeswoman said.
There were also several businesses, schools and a medical centre in the area.
“Planned maintenance work like this is critical to maintaining the reliability of the network for local customers … [and we] needed to find the least disruptive time for the planned outage to happen”.
An Auckland dad fears for the health of his young daughter with Vector planning to cut power in their street overnight for maintenance. Photo / File
The Mt Albert dad’s concerns come a week after residents in Avondale also endured a cold night when Vector switched off power in a pre-planned overnight outage at the same time temperatures were forecast to fall to 5C.
“[It’s] reprehensible … there are nine other months of the year where temperatures don’t drop to single digits. Why couldn’t the work be done then?”, said Great North Rd resident Alec.
The 68-year-old planned to use hot water bottles to keep he and his budgie Saphira warm, but worried for his elderly and vulnerable neighbours in the 54 other units in the housing complex.
Cherie Howie is an Auckland-based reporter who joined the Herald in 2011. She has been a journalist for more than 20 years and specialises in general news and features.
