FAQs
Frequently Asked Questions – Electric Service Residential Customers
Where are you located?
Electric Utilities (EUD) is located at 420 Halsey St Lumberton, NC 28358
Are trees trimmed for area light illumination?
No, this is the responsibility of the landowner.
Are trees / limbs trimmed on the secondary (service drop) lines that run from the street to the customer’s house?
No – these lines are usually insulated and they do not require maintenance unless a limb is putting substantial pressure on the line and rubbing the insulation off the wire. Secondary (service drop) lines are accessed and maintained during routine maintenance on a 3 to 5 year rotation.
If I need my secondary (service drop) line temporarily disconnected for tree / limb removal, what procedures do I need to follow?
Contact Public Services at (910) 671-3800. This requires a 24-hour notice.
What procedures do I need to follow before I do any underground digging?
Call NC811 at 8-1-1 or 1-800-632-4949 before you start any digging project. State law requires a 48-hour notice.
What’s the difference between an area light (off-street light) and a street light?
Area lighting (OSL) is used to light private areas such as backyards, playgrounds, storage yards and general customer areas. These lights are installed as requested by a customer for a monthly fee. Street lighting is used primarily to illuminate the city’s public thoroughfares and residential streets.
Who do I call if my streetlight or area light is not working properly?
To request maintenance of street lights and area lights, or to report an outage, please have a pole number and address call (910) 671-3865.
Who do I call to have a streetlight installed?
You may call (910) 671-3865 to find out about having a streetlight installed.
What is the cost of installing an area light on my property?
Please call (910) 671-3865 to schedule an appointment and get information on the monthly rates for an area light (OSL).
Who do I call when I have a problem with power outages, downed power lines or poles, power fluctuations, and voltage concerns?
Please call (910) 61-3865, 7:00 am-3:30 pm Monday-Friday. For 24 hour emergency service, please call (910) 671-3888
Who do I call to find out when construction is scheduled for my work order?
You may contact (910) 671-3865
How close can I place my sign to an electrical line?
EUD typically requires a sign to be at least 15 feet from the center of the pole line.
How close can I plant my shrub to a transformer?
You should plant 3 feet from the sides of transformer and 9 feet from the front of the transformer.
Can I attach signs / posters to electrical poles?
No.
How do I request temporary electric service?
Temporary service is a non-permanent electric service. Temporary service may be established during the development of a property prior to permanent service installation or when electric service is intended for short-term use only. Contact the Public Services department at (910)671-3800.
Who do I call if I need a pole relocated?
Please contact Electric Utilities (EUD) at (910) 671-3865
Are meter bases and service poles supplied by City of Lumberton?
No. After installation of the meter base by an electrician, the homeowner is then responsible for all components of the electrical system, with the exception of the service wire at the point of connection.
What is demand?
Demand is the rate at which electric energy is used at any instant or averaged over any designated period of time and is measured in kilowatts (kW). The demand kW is measured by the electric meter as the highest average demand in any 15-minute period during the month. This is the amount of electric load required by the customer’s electric equipment operating at any given time. Transmission and distribution utilities must have sufficient electric capacity such as properly sized transformers, service wires and conductors to meet customers kW demand. The demand kW is recorded for billing the demand charge each month and then reset on the bill cycle date.
What is the demand charge on my business account electric bill?
The demand charge is a billing mechanism used to recover the cost of providing transmission and distribution service to non-residential customers. Since Electric Utilities (EUD) distribution systems are sized for the maximum load of the customers using the systems, the cost driver for providing transmission and distribution service is demand. In order to better align the costs of building and operating those systems with a customer’s use of the system, a demand charge is applied to the maximum demand (kW) that is recorded on a customer’s meter during the month.
How does demand work?
Here’s an example of how demand works. Say you have two large motors, each rated at 150 kilowatts (kW). Operating one motor creates 150 kW of demand. Operating both motors at the same time creates 300 kW of demand. If your operation allows for it, you could stagger motor use so only one motor runs at a time thus creating only 150 kW of demand.
What can I do to reduce Demand Charges?
In general, there are two strategies for reducing demand:
1) Installing energy-efficient equipment or downsizing equipment to fit the job. For example, you might consider installing a more efficient motor or purchasing a compressor sized for the need.
2) Staggering load so that equipment is not running simultaneously. For example, you might consider charging equipment at night when your demand for electricity is less or performing more energy-intensive activities at lower-load times of the day.
I have multiple accounts. Why is one multiplier higher than the other?
For some customers, their monthly use may be more than the installed meter can register without being damaged. Installing a meter that could read the larger current or voltage that the building requires would be rather costly. A more cost-effective solution is to use a smaller meter that uses a meter multiplier. With these meters, the current and/or voltage is stepped down to a reasonable level so that it can be properly metered.
The multiplier is subject to the meter type and the size of the load at each service. Using meters with multipliers enables us to use smaller equipment to read your electric usage. Having different multipliers does not mean you are getting charged more or less for each kilowatt-hour of energy used; it simply helps us to read the usage using smaller equipment. The multiplier does not relate to higher charges for electricity used, but is simply a measuring tool to ensure accuracy of meter reads and associated billings
I’m in the planning stages for a new business and need to know about at the electric service?
Call (910) 671-3865 and we can provide the necessary information.