Engineering Services
Service Isolations and Area Entry Requests
Temporary Service Isolation & Area Entry Request
It is dangerous to work within the proximity of live electrical lines. If you need to do roofing, painting or other maintenance work, follow the process below to schedule a service isolation to disconnect your service in order to work safely.
Step 1 – Submit Temporary Service / Area Entry Request Form for Review by Engineering Department
Complete and submit the Temporary Service / Area Entry Request. Review and approval by the Engineering Department is required
You'll require the following information to complete the form.
- Customer name, service address, email and phone number(s)
- Name and contact information of electrical contractor / consultant, if applicable
- Description of work to be performed and how long the service must be isolated
Each residential or commercial customer may request one service disconnection / isolation per year free of charge during regular business hours. Fees will apply if you require work to be done outside of business hours or more than one disconnection / isolation per year.
Keep in mind that it may take several weeks to book your appointment, so it is best to reach out well in advance of when you need to perform your work.
Step 2 – Scheduling Your Appointment
Upon receipt of your email, our Engineering Department will confirm availability with you and schedule the disconnection and reconnection.
In scheduling the work, note that the property owner or their designated representative (contractor or electrician) must be on site at the property for the disconnection and reconnection.
Step 3 – Contact Electrical Safety Authority re: Connection Authorization
In some cases, Burlington Hydro will require a Connection Authorization from the Electrical Safety Authority (ESA) to reconnect the power. If that is the case, you must contact the ESA to determine whether an ESA inspector is able to inspect the work on the day of the reconnection or can issue a pre-authorized ESA Connection Authorization.
The following are examples of what would require an ESA Connection Authorization before reconnecting:
- Disconnection for more than six months (i.e., for non-occupancy or non-payment)
- Fires
- Floods
- Lightning strikes
- Explosions
- Power surges or other disasters
- Property used as a Cannabis grow operation, methamphetamine lab or other clandestine operation
- Altered or stolen wire
- Theft of power
Step 4 – Disconnection / Reconnection
Your electricity service will be disconnected in the morning of the scheduled day. The property owner or authorized representative (contractor or electrician) must be on site for the disconnection.
Burlington Hydro will reconnect the service upon being advised that the work is complete or upon receipt of the required ESA Connection Authorization. The property owner or authorized representative (contractor or electrician) must be on site for the reconnection.
Service Isolation for Station Maintenance (Customer Owned Substations)
If you need to perform maintenance, upgrades or repairs on your customer-owned substation equipment, follow the process below to request a service isolation (a temporary disconnection or power shutdown) for substation maintenance. Burlington Hydro will temporarily disconnect the electrical service so the work can be done safely and reconnect it once the project is complete.
Each commercial customer may request one service isolation per year free of charge during regular business hours. Fees will apply if you require isolation outside of business hours, a crew to remain on site, or more than one isolation per year.
Step 1 – Submit Isolation Request Form
Complete and submit the Isolation Service Request. Review and approval by the Engineering Department is required Keep in mind that it may take several weeks to book your appointment and confirm all details, so it is best to reach out well in advance of when you need to perform your work. The following information is required.
- Company name (account holder), address, contact name, email address, telephone number
- Contractor company name, address, site contact name, email address, telephone number
- Project details:
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- Project location
- Purchase order number and issued by
- Costs to be billed to customer or contractor
- Date of outage
- Requested isolation start time
- Whether you need the crew to be on site for the duration of the outage
- Requested restoration time
- Reason for outage
- Confirmation that you are not altering your service in any way (e.g., installing new equipment such as transformers, switches, protective devices or settings), adding or changing generation or increasing/decreasing your load
Note that a current, valid Operating Agreement must be in place with Burlington Hydro prior to confirming your Isolation of Substation Maintenance Request. If an Operating Agreement is not in place, your isolation may be delayed until an agreement can be entered into by the service owner and Burlington Hydro.
Step 2 – Scheduling Your Appointment
After reviewing and processing your Isolation Service Request, our Engineering Department will confirm availability with you and schedule the disconnect and reconnect.
In scheduling the work, note that the property owner or their designated representative (contractor or electrician) must be on site at the property for the disconnection and reconnection.
Note that Burlington Hydro staff cannot operate customer-owned equipment. Customers must have the necessary operators on site to avoid any work delays or appointment cancellations.
Step 3 – Contact the Electrical Safety Authority re: Connection Authorization
Burlington Hydro will require a Connection Authorization from the Electrical Safety Authority (ESA) to reconnect the power. Contact the ESA to determine whether an ESA inspector is able to inspect the work on the day of the reconnection or can issue a pre-authorized ESA Connection Authorization.
Service Isolation for Restricted Area Access
Burlington Hydro locks all vaults and enclosures containing high-voltage equipment. If you need to perform an inspection on an electrical vault on your property, you will need to request Burlington Hydro provide access to the restricted area. Your service may need to be isolated or temporarily disconnected in order to ensure safely.
You can request restricted area access for inspection by following the process below.
If you have questions, please contact our
Step 1 – Submit Your Request by Email to the Engineering Department
Submit an email to our
- Customer name, service address, email and phone number(s)
- Name and contact information of on-site representative
- Description of area you need access to and the purpose for the request (e.g., fire system inspection, maintaining the room, etc.)
- Requested date for access
- Requested restoration time
Keep in mind that it may take several weeks to book your appointment and confirm all details, so it is best to reach out well in advance of when you need to perform your work. Fees will apply if you require access outside of business hours, or more than inspection per year.
Step 2 – Scheduling Your Appointment
Upon receipt of your email, our Engineering Department will confirm availability with you and schedule the disconnect and reconnect.
In scheduling the work, note that the property owner or their designated representative (contractor or electrician) must be on site at the property for the disconnect and reconnect.
Note that as a vault owner, you are responsible for maintaining the property in a safe condition that meets Burlington Hydro’s requirements for access, maintenance and operation and which does not threaten the integrity or reliability of equipment or infrastructure owned by Burlington Hydro or the customer. If deficiencies are found with the condition of your equipment vault, you may be required to remedy them and costs may apply.
Step 3 – Disconnection / Reconnection
Your electricity service will be disconnected in the morning of the scheduled day. Service will be restored by Burlington Hydro upon being informed that work is complete. The property owner or authorized representative (contractor or electrician) must be on site for the disconnection and reconnection.