BROWNOUTS: Pulling Through Without Damages

There is no one who cannot recognize a blackout when it occurs. Blackouts like the name imply indicate a state where there is no power supply. However, in some cases there is power, but it cannot be used because it is of low or fluctuating voltage, this is called a brownout. A brownout is an intentional or unintentional drop or sag in voltage in an electrical grid. Brownouts are commonly referred to as  “low current” in Nigeria.

Major causes of brownouts include:

• Grid problems; a problem in the grid such as a fault may decrease the quantity of power being transmitted. For example, in the event of a thunderstorm or heavy rainfall, electricity suppliers may reduce the amount of power distributed to each home.
• Generation plant failure; when a plant goes offline, brownouts may occur to balance the power supplied.
• Heavy energy demand; during these periods, the electricity supplier may intentionally decrease voltage to avoid the failure of their system.
• When too much electricity is in demand or during severe weather conditions.
• Faulty connection in your home; overloading of a circuit or inadequate/bad wiring for high capacity load may lead to a drop in voltage supplied to the circuit.

 One visible indicator of brownout occurrence is the flickering of light bulbs. Bulbs rely on voltage for stability and a drop in voltage would cause a decrease in luminosity. The reduced voltage in incandescent bulbs gave rise to the term brownout as bulbs tend to brown out (decreased luminosity) due to reduced heat and light production when the voltage sags. Other signs of brownout include tripping of appliances, as devices that require high voltages for operations tend to switch off. Brownouts often do not harm devices and appliances in the short term, but they reduce functionality.

Many of us still plug in some appliances, especially phone chargers (half bread is better than none) during brownouts. While your devices may work during brownouts, increased operation of some devices during brownouts may overtax appliances. For example, devices may overheat due to the increased use of current so as to compensate for the reduced voltage. This overheating may be harmful to your devices and appliances if this happens often.

Some devices and appliances such as some computers, television sets chargers and power packs cannot fully regulate the amount of power it receives and may be severely damaged if voltage spikes suddenly during a brownout.

It is advisable to wait for the voltage to normalise before plugging devices again. The voltage oftentimes is reduced on purpose to prevent blackouts that may occur due to high power demand.

Pulling through strategy

• Unplug all appliances
• Install circuit breakers/surge protectors in your home
• Use extension sockets (especially those with a circuit breaker)

When brownouts occur, very often they come off as an inconvenience to the consumer, but the best way to stop a brownout is to reduce your energy use.

Usually, brownouts should not take too long, however, if you notice that yours has lasted for hours, it is ok to call your electricity supplier to find out if it is deliberate or if you have a faulty connection in your home