Protection Zone Management™ Eliminates Paper Inspections, Double Data Entry for Mt. Wheeler Power Company.

Mt. Wheeler Power Company has been inspecting and reading data from its substation regulators and reclosers to track important voltage and reliability metrics for years.

The inspector would gather up the paper inspection forms and document all of the data in the field. Keeping the forms in order, legible, and getting them to the engineer on time was always the goal, but not always the reality.

Weather created a challenge, as rain and wind don't lend themselves well to pen and paper entry out in the field. On one memorable occasion, a wind gust blew inspection papers into a prison yard!

The inspector would finish the inspections on paper and the inspector, the engineer, or a clerical employee would have to free-up time to enter the key data in excel spreadsheet for each piece of equipment. Entering data twice often caused delays in getting useful information.

Since implementing Protection Zone Management™ (PZM), Mt. Wheeler now enters data in the field using an iPad and instantly sync the data to the cloud.

Any Mt. Wheeler engineer can review the data instantly!

Mt. Wheeler's electrical system is rural, with a lot of field voltage regulators to support voltage. The inspection data Mt. Wheeler gets from PZM identifies low voltage and high voltage areas on the system and VAR flow. This information helps engineers make the necessary adjustments to ensure a good service voltage to their members.

"The iPad entry and syncing the data saves me a lot of time. Before, I would have to organize my inspection forms, do my inspections, enter data on paper, and then enter it again on the computer.

Now I enter it once on the iPad and push the synchronize button.

With GPS technology, PZM knows I was there, knows what piece of equipment I am inspecting, and it walks me through the inspection.

I also really like PZM's detailed inspection questions. The questions have made me much more familiar with the equipment I am inspecting." – Brett Hardy, Mt. Wheeler Substation Technician

Mt. Wheeler continues to use PZM to document and complete comprehensive substation inspections.