September 5, 2019

Penn Power is among the FEU operating companies installing TripSaver devices to help limit the frequency and duration of service interruptions for customers.

Our crews have been busy installing new TripSaver automated reclosing devices on power lines in various parts of FirstEnergy Utilities service territory. The electrical device works like a circuit breaker in a home with the added benefit of automatically re-energizing a power line within seconds to keep power safely flowing to customers.

TripSavers are installed on local neighborhood power lines that branch from the main line serving an area. When there is a temporary issue on the neighborhood line, such as a tree limb being blown into the wire, the TripSaver responds in seconds, sensing when the branch is gone and automatically re-energizing the line to prevent an extended outage in the neighborhood. The device also safely isolates the outage from the main power line, helping to avoid outages to customers across a larger area.

FEU companies that have installed – or secured plans to install – the devices include:

• West Penn Power has installed nearly a dozen TripSavers in central Pennsylvania to limit the number and length of power outages due to tree or animal contact.
• Jersey Central Power & Light plans to install around 1,700 devices on nearly 310 circuits by the end of 2020.
• Penn Power is on track to complete 120 installations by late fall of this year.

“TripSavers allow us to automatically restore service to customers rather than sending a crew to investigate, which is especially helpful in rural areas,” said Ed Shuttleworth, regional president, Ohio Edison and Penn Power. “This automated technology is safer and saves time and money.”

Jeff Doran, manager, Operations Services, discusses Penn Power’s TripSaver installation process in this video.