Who Uses the Most Electricity in ‘Hamp, I Asked

Last night I was at an outdoor bar, with people competing for seats like musical chairs. I ran into a friend who was with his son, he worked for National Grid. I have always been fascinated by utilities…water, sewer, electrical, internet. I am intrigued with the whole idea that there’s a world that most people don’t know about, this system that keeps us all wired, and lighted, and provided with water and sewer. Kyle lives in the thick of it.

I asked him about why Asphludh has a lock on the tree work. Have you ever seen anyone trimming trees for a power company besides that name…Asphludh?  He said that actually, they have to bid on that job and that another company has claimed a stake of this lucrative renewable business in recent years.

He said that during the ice storms of last winter, he worked nine days in a row. Nonstop, until his boss finally demanded that he take tome time off to sleep. He said it was that bad…wired iced, falling poles, people without power.

Then my friend began talking about when they had to upgrade their service to 800 and 400 amps. A big load of power. When they first opened their big garden center, the wires couldn’t handle the power load. They burned up and everything shut down. You have to have thicker wire to accommodate that huge amount of heat.

“Who uses the most power in Northampton?” I asked. He said Smith College and Kollmorgen get this distinction.