Neighborhood Maintenance

The Electric Utilities Department conducts routine maintenance throughout town to ensure that crews have safe access to equipment and that equipment is working properly. Crews visit neighborhoods to inspect and maintain:

  • Light Poles - Discolored, Leaning, Vegetation Trimming / Removal
  • Pedestals (Electric) - Vegetation Trimming / Removal, Rust, and Internal Parts
  • Transformers - Vegetation Trimming / Removal, Rust, and Internal Parts

Residents can stay informed ahead of the routine maintenance in their neighborhoods by receiving an automated phone call, email, or text message. Want to stay in the know? Contact information listed on your existing utility account will be used to send notifications. View your information to confirm it is current and can receive text messages and correct any outdated info here. 

Residents with updated contact information will receive a text message notifying them of the routine maintenance from (919) 372-7475.

Electric staff WILL NOT inspect or maintain other utility boxes owned by others agencies like fiber or internet.

A brief power outage may need to be scheduled for a later date if issues are found during these inspections. If so, affected residents will be notified via automated phone call, email, or text message. If the issue needs immediate repair, an emergency outage will be activated.

Learn more about the routine maintenance and why it's important to keep transformers clear of vegetaion and landscaping by viewing the video below!

What we want to see:

Clear Accessible Transformer

This transformer is the perfect example of what our Electric crews like to see:

  • Three feet of space around the sides and back and 10 feet of space along the front of the transformer.
  • Clear of landscaping and vegetation
  • Air flow is accessible all around it for cooling and avoiding overheating
  • No rust or cuts on the green outer area
  • Clearly can see the blue sticker (fault indicator light) and the location tag on the top right
  • Open to the environment meaning it isn't a place for critters and crawlers to hide

What creates problems:

Problematic Transformer

This transformer is an example of what our Electric crews do not want to see:

  • Landscaping and vegetation is covering transformer and blocks crews driving by from seeing it
  • Landscaping acts as insulation and can cause transformer to overheat and lose power
  • Fault indicator light and location tag are covered making it difficult for crews to track down the cause of an outage during poor visibility or a storm
  • Vegetation causes scratches, leading to rusted out equipment
  • Landscaping acts as a conductor and can harm crews working to access transformer
  1. Planting Near Transformers
  2. Right Tree, Right Place

Many neighborhoods in Apex have underground electric systems, which include pad mounted transformers and underground lines. Transformers are placed in easements in yards and provide electric service to several homes meaning that one transformer can have many electric lines that span out in various directions.

Guidelines to remember when planting near transformers:

  1. Maintain a 3-foot boundary along the sides and back of the transformer. Equipment inside the transformer box generates heat and needs air circulation to keep cool and run efficiently. Overheating could cause an outage.
  2. Maintain a 10-foot boundary in front of the transformer. Equipment inside is energized (electricity is running) at high voltage. Line crews use long fiberglass sticks to work on energized transformers to avoid interrupting electric service to neighborhoods and need the exrtra space to work safely.
  3. Use gravel, wood chips, grass or low ground cover around the transformer. Flowers are okay but may get trampled if we have to work on it. 
  4. Call NC811 at 811 before you dig anywhere in your yard. They locate and mark underground utility services.