"The costs of missed patrols"
- nextleveluav
- Sep 25
- 3 min read
Updated: Oct 4
Scope: The intention of this communication is to give estimates to how much an outage can cost a utility. This scenario accounts for blue sky conditions, crew that is signed on and available, and specific type of equipment failure (crossarm). This estimate is for the “Texas” region and its economic characteristics. These figures also do not include any commercial customers. The cause of the outage is a failed crossarm that caused significant amount of damage to the 25 KVA pole mounted transformer ($3500) and one primary conductor down on a three phase line.
Known figures for this spreadsheet:
Berkley’s Lab ICE Calculator 2.0
• SAIDI = 125.7
• SAIFI = 1.064
• CAIDI =118.14
Average restoration time per outage (CAIDI for U.S. Utilities) according to eia.gov (2022) excluding Major Event Days (MED) is 118.1
Crews loaded benefits + equipment depreciation = $600 per hour or $10 per minute (conservatively)
Customers affected equals 1,000 (typical number of customers downstream of a three phase 600-amp reclosure). Total loss of revenue is $11,274.96
One line crew was dispatched, including drive time and being on site for 125 minutes equals $1,250.
Material needed for repairs would equal $4,500 (accounts for crossarm, 25KVA transformer, hardware, insulators, conductor ties, taps etc.)
All together these totals: $17,024.96
Note: this doesn’t include any claims for damage to personal property. You will need
to calculate the average amount paid out to claims based on the above conditions
(cause). These figures also do not represent the entirety of the cost. Certain conditions may require additional services to include traffic control, tree trimming, additional crews, overtime rates, true loaded costs (hourly pay plus benefits), material availability, additional incidents or time for switching needed to isolate and re-energize.
Predictive drone inspection comparison:
Number of poles behind the same above reclosure = 450 poles
If the failing crossarm would have been caught and dispatched, it would typically take a line crew 1 hour ($600) to replace the cross arm, and there would have been no need to replace the transformer (saving $3500).
Inspection cost of the entire circuit = $11,250
Repair cost = $1,200 ($600 per hour + material)
Totaling $12,450
The big picture here is to view this as only one event. If there are 15 poles out of the 450 inspected that would have resulted in similar outages, the total of all 15 events would equal $255,374.40 (17,024.96 x 15). Realistically, this scenario would not repeat itself in the same year but over a span of a few years. Example a 5 year average would equal $51,074.88 per year.
With average inspection cost (12,450) and the crew working 1 hour ($600) per repair (15 repairs) and $9,000 (estimated in material) would total $30,450.
Predictive Maintenance: A Proven Value-Add
Predictive maintenance is truly worth its weight in gold. An investment of $30,450 delivers far more than just improved reliability and customer satisfaction — it enhances public safety, reduces operational risk, and mitigates the potential for costly lawsuits. It also prevents claims payouts for avoidable incidents, not considered acts of mother nature, preserving both utility resources and reputation.
Our mission is simply to focus on the circuits with the worst reliability metrics and identify looming issues before they escalate into outages or equipment failures. These hidden problems can cost utilities tens of thousands — even hundreds of thousands of dollars if left unchecked.
We rely on hard numbers and real-world experience from years in the field and “lessons learned” sessions. Our goal is to provide actionable, data-driven insight that allows utilities to proactively address issues, reduce truck rolls, and keep crews and communities safer.
Have a great day!
Next Level UAV LLC | Boerne, TX
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