Every Day Electric Utility Terms
Below are a few of the terms that we use everyday at North Little Rock Electric! We created simplified definitions to better help our customers understand what goes into providing electricity to your homes & businesses.
Utility Pole
Also known as a Telephone Pole or Power Pole. These are the wooden or metal poles that hold all of our different electrical equipment; not everything on the pole is electrical. Some wires on the pole are used by other providers such as Xfinity/Comcast or AT&T.
Transformer
An electrical transformer converts the voltage coming from the power line to a suitable level for use in a home or business. These can be found on poles or on the ground, depending on the needs of the distribution. If there is an outage and you hear a loud boom, it may not be the transformer that has been affected; it could be a blown fuse in a switch.
Switch
A switch is a part of the electrical distribution system that helps control the flow of electricity within a circuit. When repairs need to be made in certain places, switches can be used to reroute the flow of electricity so that work can safely be done within the affected area.
Service Line
This is the line that transports power from the transformer to your home or business.
Easement
An easement for a utility is a built-in permission for a utility to use/access land that is not owned by the utility for the purpose of providing services. These are an established part of how property works and are a part of almost all pieces of property. For example, you may have a utility pole that is on your land that allows North Little Rock Electric to provide power to you and your neighbors.
Line Drop
A line drop is a service offered by North Little Rock Electric, where we cut power & roll up your home’s or business’s service line to the utility pole, allowing for personal work to be done on your property. This is commonly done in instances where you need to hire tree trimming to maintain the area around your home’s/business’s service line, or the need for electricians to work on your home.
Lateral
A lateral is a smaller feeder in our electrical distribution system that feeds areas like individual neighborhoods within a circuit.
Circuit
These are the major routes of how energy is fed throughout our electrical distribution system. Our system is broken into several different circuits to balance load and provide our customers with reliable service. A circuit can contain several neighborhoods with thousands of customers.
Substation
A substation converts the electricity that comes into our electrical distribution system and separates it into circuits.
Transmission Line
Transmission lines are the major power lines that deliver power from town to town and feed our electrical system.
Weatherhead
A weatherhead is a weatherproof entry for our service line to meet the point of attachment of your home’s electrical system.
Surge Arresters
These serve as a protection device for our electrical equipment and limits damage during stormy weather.
Insulators
These are non-conductive parts that support power lines and prevent electricity from flowing into the utility pole or ground below.
Nightwatcher/Floodlight
Name for an extra outdoor light that can be requested from North Little Rock Electric. A Nightwatcher stands apart from a regular streetlight by offering a service that customers are charged for monthly.