On average in 2024, Tipmont electric service was active 99.98% of the time. As I like to say: That’s only .01% off the highest possible score of 99.99%. Running close to 100% remains a Tipmont point of pride. But the continued value of our annual reliability report is deriving data-driven solutions from outage causes and patterns.
No surprises here: Trees and wildlife (47%), equipment failure (18%) and weather (11%) were 2024’s top electrical outage causes — albeit to different degrees than in 2023 that reflect Tipmont’s commitment to continual improvement.
We see it in a drop in equipment failure outages (from 24% to 18%) and a decline of tree-related outages. Trees caused only 21% of all outages in 2024, and there were no outages caused by transmission line issues (down from 12 in 2023). Those issues often involve trees, but Tipmont crews cannot work on lines we don’t own or operate. Enhanced trimming schedules from Tipmont and our transmission partners have significantly decreased all tree-related outages.
Tree outages also take the longest to resolve, so having fewer of them prompted a significant 2024 reduction to Member Outage Minutes, or the average number of minutes each year that members do not have service. Member Outage Minutes dropped 11% from 2023 while Tipmont’s time required to restore service also improved by 25% from 2023.
Fewer outage minutes with faster reconnection is where we want to be. Tipmont’s proactive efforts to protect high-risk infrastructure from wildlife are also paying off. Wildlife remains the largest individual outage cause but dropped to one-quarter of all outages in 2024 (from one-third in 2023). Our territory had a slightly tougher 2024 for weather — causing 11% of outages, up from 8% in 2023.
As we’ve entered 2025, Tipmont has continued ongoing work to enhance infrastructure — including burying more lines to protect from high winds, heavy trees and storm debris. It’s part of how Tipmont always looks forward to maintain reliability and to empower you with our essential service of electricity.
A thank you to Tipmont crews
On Sunday, March 30, our territory faced a significant severe weather event. Winds reaching 80 miles per hour broke two dozen poles, and outages spanned our service territory. But every Tipmont lineman and their support crews delivered an incredible all-hands response to restore service to all members by the following day. There’s no shortage of talented, committed folks working hard on your behalf. Please join me in thanking them for their commitment to serve you.
