Kutztown receives national recognition for exceptional electric reliability
This was the borough’s third year in a row receiving the recognition
For a third consecutive year, the Borough of Kutztown electric department received national recognition for achieving exceptional electric reliability in 2021.
“Our electric department is staffed by skilled employees who maintain the system at a very high standard and quickly solve any delivery problems that arise,” said Kutztown Borough Council vice president Derek Mace, chair of Finance and Electric.
The American Public Power Association, a trade group that represents more than 2,000 not-for-profit, community-owned electric utilities, recognized the department based on reliability of service.
“The number of outages and outage lengths from the previous year are recorded and compared to the more than 2,000 municipal owned electric departments in the United States,” explained Steven Diehl, chairman of the Borough of Kutztown Electric Superintendent Safety Committee. “As stated, this was the third year in a row receiving the recognition. The Borough has four electrical linemen that maintain our distribution system.”
“We’re lucky to have local control of our electric grid and not have to worry about extended outages,” said Mace. “Congratulations to our electric department for being recognized for continued excellence service.”
Also, Council approved Interconnection Agreements with four property owners for the installation of solar panels on Baldy Street, Highland Avenue, Luella Drive and Whiteoak Street.
“The agreements are for residents who are adding solar panels,” explained Mace. “Each time a new solar feed attaches to our system, it has to be approved. It helps us maintain the integrity of the system and keep costs low for residents. “
Diehl explained that the agreement deals with the metering and billing of the customer being interconnected and giving power back to the borough’s grid.
“Limits are in place to ensure the integrity of the borough’s system and the agreement also helps to be sure the system is installed properly to ensure the safety of the Borough’s electrical line workers,” said Diehl.
The first residential solar customer was installed in Kutztown near the end of 2010. There are currently six customers with solar generation systems in town.