SASKATOON – An official with Saskatoon Light & Power apologized Thursday for a power surge that affected 27 homes in the city’s Meadowgreen neighbourhood. Parts of Witney Avenue and Montreal Avenue were affected.
The utility company alerted residents of a planned power outage Tuesday morning. Crews replaced an old transformer with a new one.
However, the new unit created too much voltage.
“There was that mistake made. We do apologize completely for it. There’s no question we should not have had that happen,” said Trevor Bell, director of Saskatoon Light & Power.
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Sandra Peters noticed the power surge when her lights came back on and she heard a popping sound. She smelled smoke filtering from a light fixture.
Her stereo, microwave and other appliances were fried including a water softening device and a hot water tank. Peters feared she could be out between $7,000 and $8,000.
“The city should be paying for it. Yes they admitted that it was their fault, but why should we have to put this on our home insurance? Because if we do that, our premiums go up,” Peters said.
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The City of Saskatoon paid to have a local company inspect and repair furnaces in the aftermath of the power surge.
Residents can also report any damages to the city solicitor’s office.
“They can make a claim to us directly. So the process would be to have an adjuster come to their house and deal with it outside of insurance,” Bell said.
However, city officials recommend people contact their insurance company anyway to consider their options.
Saskatoon Light & Power continues to investigate why the wrong transformer was installed.
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