The expert named the key measures to protect power grids in the cold

The winter cold season has traditionally become a serious challenge for energy systems, both in private homes and at industrial facilities. Frosts, icing, and a sharp increase in electricity consumption often lead to network overloads, short circuits, and emergency shutdowns. Philip Vratskikh, founder and CEO of Techexpo, told Izvestia on December 29 about how to prepare your home and business for long weekends.

According to him, in the private sector, worn-out power grids remain one of the main causes of accidents in winter. Weakened contacts, old automatic machines and "twists" become a source of overheating and fires as the load increases due to heaters, boilers and pumps. Therefore, even before the onset of frost, it is recommended to carry out a preventive check of the electrical system: invite a qualified electrician, inspect the switchboard and the input cable, replace outdated machines, and calculate the total power of consumers and compare it with the allocated limit. Such work should be done by professionals, and not according to instructions from the Internet.

"The second basic requirement for the private sector is to spread the load along the lines. The boiler, pumps, refrigerating and freezing equipment, the server/smart home system — it is better to put all this on separate lines with automatic machines and safety shut-off devices. In the event of an accident, the system itself will disconnect secondary lines and save critical ones," the expert explained.

In addition, it is equally important to check the grounding and protection from moisture: in winter, due to condensation and precipitation, the risk of current leakage and insulation breakdown increases, especially in outdoor panels and sockets.

In case of power outages in private homes, Vratskikh advised to provide backup power in advance. The law allows total shutdowns of up to 72 hours per year, but in practice, frost disruptions can last up to a day. In such conditions, a generator becomes necessary, but its efficiency directly depends on the availability of fuel. In addition to it is an uninterruptible power supply, which is especially important for boilers.: The UPS protects the electronics from power surges and ensures the operation of the system in the first hours after disconnection.

For industrial and commercial facilities, the specialist added, cold weather preparation should be even more systematic. Companies recommend regularly instructing staff on the operation of power equipment, limiting the use of temporary connections without the participation of electricians, and ensuring the availability of fire extinguishing equipment. Backup power supply should be built taking into account priorities: first of all, to protect security systems, IT infrastructure, refrigeration and fire-fighting equipment. Generators and UPS units must be selected taking into account inrush currents and tested in advance in cold mode.

"It is important to understand that one cannot be absolutely prepared for an accident — it is always a test of the quality and speed of reconfiguration of all systems. The company must develop a clear system for how to respond in the first 30 minutes of a shutdown: who to inform, who starts backup generation, who puts the equipment into safe mode. As a last resort, you need to understand how the company's downtime will be fixed," the source concluded.

On November 30, Fyodor Vasiliev, an expert on building materials, reported on the causes of freezing and dampness in houses and apartments. Most often this happens because microcracks, chips, small cracks in cement, in seams, in corners and joints, somewhere in the cornice area or above the window, around exterior doors or under the window sill were not noticed in time. Dampness is especially dangerous in apartments with insufficient ventilation, on the first or last floor, in the presence of leaks or constant drying of laundry in the room. Ignoring these problems can lead to swollen floors, swollen doors and a general deterioration of the housing.

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