Generation & Restoration
When things are running normally, power delivery is as automatic as a heart pumping blood. But what happens when things aren’t running normally? Our simplified explanation of power generation will help to make sense of how utilities restore power when there’s an interruption.
How Does Electricity Get to My Home?
Where Does My Power Come From?
OUC's electric distribution system works much like the human circulatory system. Just as blood flows from your heart by way of arteries through shoulders and arms to get to your fingers, electricity does much the same to get to your home. View the list below to see how the process works.
-
Electricity flows from a power plant through high-voltage transmission lines.
-
At substations, transformers reduce voltage and re-route electricity to main feeder lines, or circuits, that take power into the community. Each feeder line is protected by a circuit breaker.
-
Lateral lines connected to main feeder lines route electricity through smaller areas like neighborhoods and subdivisions.
-
Nearing the end of the line, transformers on individual poles reduce voltage and distribute electricity to homes and businesses. Typically, one transformer services about four homes.
-
The electric connection at your house is the last stop for electricity.