Where do we get our electricity? | Street/Area Lights | FAQs
Provision and Ownership of Metering Enclosures


PWC's Electrical Engineering Department is made up of four sections: customer support, support systems, technical support, engineering office, and office administration. The objective of the department is to provide engineering and other services in a timely, courteous, and professional manner that is commercially competitive.

The Electric Systems Engineering Manager is responsible for managing and overseeing the activities of this department. He is a member of several committees that help provide safe, electric reliability service to our customers. Among those committees are the American Public Power Association (APPA), North Electric Reliability Council (NERC), Southeast Electric Reliability Council (SERC), and ElectriCities of North Carolina.

Customer Support Section
These employees perform fieldwork and prepare work orders for construction. The work orders may include area lights, underground services, and system maintenance. Employees prepare work orders to maintain 1770 pole miles and 868 circuit miles of underground. Employees design and layout the electric service to residential and commercial customers.

Support Systems Section
Employees in this section perform drafting/graphics in the preparation of technical drawings/maps/charts within the Electric Systems Division. This section is also responsible for building an efficient database in an effort to implement automated mapping/facilities management in a Geographical Information System (GIS) and improving Electric Systems Engineering daily functions and the service provided to our customers.

Technical Support Section
Employees in this section plan and design area studies and gather load information to make recommendations concerning future growth and development of the electric system. Engineers in this section are also responsible for developing and maintaining specifications for all PWC electrical material and equipment that meet or exceed industry standards. The engineers evaluate vendors and products also.

Office Administration
Employees in this section perform a variety of clerical work including the scheduling of appointments for customers to meet with field technicians. The Electric Systems Work Order Clerks prepare "As-Built" work orders recapitulation for submission to Property Records.

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Where do we get our electricity?

PWC currently purchases much of its power from Progress Energy. PWC also has the ability to generate electricity. All of the power that we purchase is sent to one of three Points of Delivery (POD) in the Fayetteville area by way of 230,000-volt (kV) transmission lines. This high voltage allows power to travel vast distances more efficiently than lower voltages. At these POD's the voltage is transformed to 66 kV and sent to one of our 3 5 substations throughout the Fayetteville area. This voltage allows the wires to be located closer together and is more appropriate for transporting power to our substations. At the substation the voltage is once again transformed to a lower voltage of either 25 kV or 15 kV. This is the voltage of the power lines along the streets of your neighborhood. At the home or business the voltage is transformed a final time. The usable voltage for the customer could be as low as 120 volts.

Click here for the Butler-Warner Generation Plant. Click here for a service area map.

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Street Lights / Area Lights

To request maintenance of street lights and area lights, or to report an outage, please contact the PWC Customer Service Department at (910) 483-1382 or submit a request form.

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FAQs

Q. Who do I call to get underground lines marked?
A. Customers need to call North Carolina One Call Center at 1-800-632-4949.

Q. Does PWC supply meter bases?
A. As of December 31, 2004, PWC stopped issuing meter bases for services 400 amps or below; however, PWC does issue meter bases for services above 400 amps. You will need to bring a copy of your electrical permit to the PWC Warehouse in order to have the meter base issued to you. The PWC Warehouse is located at 1097 Public Works Drive, located off Belt Blvd.

Q. What is the cost of installing an area light on my property?
A. You may call (910) 483-1382 to schedule an appointment and get information on the monthly rates for an area light. PWC will need to have access to get a line truck in the customer's yard. If the customer has a fence, then the gate will need to be wide enough for a line truck to enter. If the service for the area light is underground, there is an additional $5.00 per foot for digging the service underground for an area light.

Q. How close can I place my sign to the electrical line?
A. PWC typically requires a sign to be at least 15 feet from the center of the pole line for distribution lines.

Q. How close can I plant my shrub next to the transformer?
A. When planting shrubs next to an electrical transformer, you should plant 3 feet from the transformer on the sides and back and 9 feet from the front of the transformer.

Q. What is the cost to covert my electrical service from overhead to underground?
A. In most circumstances, PWC can convert your overhead electrical service to underground for as little as $635.00 plus excess construction. You may call (910) 483-1382 to schedule an appointment.

Q. Who do I call if I am having power fluctuations or voltage trouble?
A. Monday-Friday, 8:00 am-8:00 pm, please call PWC's Customer Service at (910) 483-1382. For 24 hour emergency service, please call PWC's Dispatch at 1-877-OUR-PWC1.

Q. Who do I call if my streetlight or area light is not working properly?
A. To request maintenance of street lights and area lights, or to report an outage, please contact the PWC Customer Service Department at (910) 483-1382 or submit a request form.

Q. Where do I call to find out about having a streetlight installed?
A. You way call 483-1382 to find out about having a streetlight installed.

Q. Who do I contact about moving a house or building?
A. After contacting the Inspections Department (City of Fayetteville and/or Cumberland County) and completing a moving application, you will need to bring the moving application to the Electrical Engineering Department for an engineer to review and approve. You may contact the Engineering Department at 223-4514.

Q. Who do I contact if I am demolishing a building and need electrical services removed?
A. After contacting the Inspections Department (City of Fayetteville) or (Cumberland County) and completing a demolition permit, you will need to bring or fax the demolition permit to the Electrical Construction Department. You may contact the Electrical Construction Department at (910) 223-4500.

Q. Who do I contact if I am experiencing television or radio interference?
A. You way contact the Electrical Engineering Department at 223-4514 to report the interference problem.

Q. Who do I contact if I need a pole relocated?
A. You may contact 483-1382 to put in a request to have a pole relocated.

Q. Who do I contact when I am experiencing lightning problems inside the home?
A. Although PWC does not provide lightning protection inside a customer's home, customers can install their own lightning protection by purchasing surge protectors from any electrical supply store. The Electrical Engineering Department can provide advice on the selection and placement of surge protection. The Electrical Engineering Department can be contacted at 223- 4514.

Q. Who do I contact to find out when construction is scheduled for my work order?
A. You may contact 483-1382 and ask any service representative.

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Public Works Commission
P.O. Box 1089
Fayetteville, NC 28302
(910) 483-1401
1-877-OUR-PWC1 Emergencies
(910)483-1382 Customer Service
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