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Reliability

Our Commitment to Reliability

At BVU Authority, reliability is a key focus when serving our customers. Whether it’s electricity powering your home, water flowing from your tap, or wastewater safely carried away, we strive to deliver dependable utility services.

BVU works to manage systems—Electric, Water, and Wastewater—that are maintained, modernized, and monitored to meet high safety, efficiency, and sustainability standards.

Our systems are routinely recognized for excellence, including:

We invest in infrastructure so you can count on us.

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Electric Reliability

Measuring What Matters

BVU uses nationally recognized reliability metrics to evaluate and monitor system performance. Two of the primary benchmarks are:

  • SAIDI (System Average Interruption Duration Index): Measures the average length of time customers experience power outages over the course of a year
  • SAIFI (System Average Interruption Frequency Index): Measures how often customers experience power outages annually

BVU’s performance in both categories consistently ranks well below national averages, reflecting our ongoing investments in system reliability, outage prevention, and rapid restoration. These strong results demonstrate our commitment to minimizing customer interruptions and keeping energy costs affordable.

Investing in Smart Grid Innovation

BVU has made significant investments in advanced technologies that help prevent outages and accelerate restoration when interruptions do occur:

  • Automated Smart Devices: Intelligent switching equipment deployed throughout our system can automatically detect and isolate faults, often restoring service to unaffected areas within seconds
  • SCADA and Monitoring Systems: Real-time diagnostics and automated control systems allow for rapid response and better situational awareness during service events
  • Substation Modernization: Upgrades to transformers, switchgear, and protection systems improve system capacity and grid resilience
  • System Hardening Projects: Strategic conductor upgrades, ongoing pole replacements, and selective undergrounding reduce exposure to severe weather and long-term system risks

Vegetation Management

Our proactive trimming program targets high-risk areas before severe weather strikes, significantly reducing storm-related outages.

After Action Reports & Transparency

Major outages prompt an internal review and public summary, outlining the cause, response, and prevention steps moving forward.

Affordability Through Reliability

Our efficiency has translated to 7 rate reductions since 2017, saving customers over $33.4 million cumulatively. BVU now offers one of the lowest residential electric rates in Virginia.

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Water Reliability

Addressing Aging Infrastructure

  • Approximately 1/3 of our water mains are cast iron, with some lines aging out of their service lifespans
  • 56 miles of these outdated pipes are being phased out through a multi-phase replacement plan

Public Health & Pressure Standards

Our target upgrades:

  • Eliminating lead joints and corrosion-prone mains
  • Meeting Safe Drinking Water Act compliance
  • Enhancing fire flow capabilities

Preparedness

We maintain 24/7 emergency response for leaks, breaks, and pressure loss to ensure quick restoration and minimize customer impact.

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Wastewater Reliability

Regulatory Compliance

In partnership with VDEQ, BVU is modernizing the sewer system under a multi-year corrective action plan:

Key Achievements:

  • Reduced system flow by 2.7 million GPD despite rainfall levels
  • Decreased SSO events from 24 (2020) to just 2 (2024)
  • Lowered Virginia flow contributions to the area wastewater treatment plant from 51% to 39.6%

Major Projects Completed/In Progress:

  • Beaver Creek & Little Creek interceptor rehab (47,000+ feet of pipe)
  • Sinking Creek and Steele Creek collector line replacements
  • Predictive monitoring technology to prevent overflows

Environmental Stewardship

Each improvement reduces inflow & infiltration (I&I), protects waterways, and improves community health.