Power’s Out? There’s A Good Chance You Can Blame It On A Squirrel

Squirrels hop along power lines in Gallatin, Tenn. It’s harder for them to get up there in the nearby trees are trimmed, according to the Nashville Electric Service. Credit: Mike via Flickr

An unruly squirrel knocked out electricity to 145 homes in Antioch earlier this week after chewing on a transformer. Perhaps it was trying to compete with the raccoon a few weeks ago that left 3,400 in West Nashville without power.

Critters in Middle Tennessee cause a surprising amount of outages — thousands per year. In 2013, Nashville Electric Service’s coverage area had more power disruptions due to squirrels than due to the weather.

The power company has also had problems with birds, possums and snakes — “even a cat at one point,” says NES spokeswoman Laurie Parker. “Any kind of wildlife that might get a little too curious getting too close to our equipment can cause an outage.”

This time of year is especially busy because animals are out and about, she says. The power company has built squirrel guards to stop them from gnawing on wires, replaced wooden polls with metal because they’re harder for animals to climb on, and set up a platform for hawks to nest in when they were getting close to electrical gear.

Power can be restored within a few hours. Unfortunately, the animals usually aren’t so lucky.

“We try to keep them protected, away from our equipment, because we don’t want them to be injured and we don’t want an outage,” Parker says. “So if we keep them out, that’s better for both parties.”

Animals, By The Numbers:

Middle Tennessee Electric Membership Corporation

• Number of customers: 198,000
• Total number of outages in 2013: 5,625
• Number of animal-related outages: 1,011

Nashville Electric Service

• Number of customers: 360,000
• Total number of outages in 2013: 8,803
• Number of animal-related outages: 1,246