Aging apartments start energy-saving campaigns to prevent blackouts
An apartment building in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province, remains dark due to a blackout following a surge in electricity use in this Aug. 5, 2019 photo. Yonhap
By Bahk Eun-ji
The continued heat wave has caused a series of power outages at apartment complexes due to aging electrical infrastructure.
As a countermeasure, some apartments are running energy-saving campaigns, urging their residents to take turns using their air conditioners or to go on vacation, despite the risk of COVID-19 infection.
The head of a management office at an apartment complex in Songpa District, Seoul, posted a sign announcing the start of a campaign for residents to use their air conditioners only at designated times ― units on odd-numbered floors could use their air conditioners during odd-numbered hours of the day, and units on even-numbered floors, during even-numbered hours.
It also recommended that residents use only one air conditioner per household if they have more than one, and use washing machines in the morning when the electricity consumption level is not as high.
The notice reflects concerns about power outages in case surging electricity consumption exceeds the capacity of aging transformers and other electricity-related equipment.
The particular apartment complex in question, which has more than 5,000 households, was built more than 30 years ago, and due to the age of its electric power infrastructure, there have been cases of blackouts every summer, including in 2018 when the worst heat wave ever was recorded. During this summer too, 824 households suffered from a power outage lasting 10 minutes on Friday evening.
A sign posted at an apartment complex in Songpa District, Seoul, encourages residents to limit the use of air conditioners. Yonhap
“The idea is to operate the air conditioners of each household on an odd-even numbered system, based on which floor your unit is on, just like the odd-even numbered license plate digits system for personal car use during days with high levels of fine dust pollution in the past,” explained the head of the apartment complex's management office.
“Even if the system is not actually followed by residents, I thought it would be a good way to raise their awareness.”
An even older apartment complex, built over 40 years ago also in Songpa District, is also trying to reduce the chances of blackouts, after having often experienced power failures in previous summers.
The electricity team at that apartment complex's management office put up a notice in the elevators asking residents to refrain from using power-consuming products such as air conditioners and electric stoves.
In addition, the office strongly recommended that residents go on vacation. “Every year, electricity use peaks between Aug. 1 and 15. If we fail to save electricity and a power outage occurs, we will all go through a huge inconvenience if we have to spend days without electricity. So we urge residents to take a vacation between Aug. 1 and 15,” the notice said.
In the ongoing heat wave, blackouts have been taking place in apartment complexes with aging electrical equipment across the country.
According to the Korea Electric Power Corporation (KEPCO), apartment complexes reported 180 cases of power outages between July 1 and 26.
Among them, 54 cases took place at apartments that are over 25 years old, accounting for close to a third of the total.
“Blackouts in apartment complexes are concentrated in the summer season around July and August, and the serious heat wave this year is raising concerns about an increase in electrical facility breakdowns due to overloads in those complexes,” a KEPCO official said.