Overview

GUS’s Electric system has a typical structure with power being provided from Lower Colorado River Authority (LCRA) and Constellation Power. Our function is the distribution of that power from our source to GUS’s homes and businesses. Our service territory covers 42 square miles and has approximately 195 miles of overhead and 125 miles of underground electric lines. To service our community’s estimated population of over 45,000 we use more than 20,000 electric meters, 6,000 distribution transformers and seven (7) substations.

The system has these major components:

• Substations – A substation is a combination of switching, controlling and voltage step-down equipment arranged to reduce transmission voltage to primary distribution voltage for distribution of electricity to residential, farm, commercial, and industrial loads. Loss of power at a substation could affect as many as 4000 customers.
• Distribution Feeder Circuits – The distribution feeder circuits serve as a source to branch circuits and are often referred to as “distribution main feeders,” “express feeders,” or “primary main feeder circuits.” The number of customers served by a single distribution feeder circuit averages approximately one fourth (1/4) that of a substation.
• Branch Circuits – Branch circuits tap to the main distribution feeder circuits through high-voltage fuses commonly called “cutouts” on overhead lines. The branch circuits may be either overhead or underground. These circuits are often referred to as “primaries” and serve smaller groups of customers from the distribution feeder circuits.
• Individual services – The service is the low-voltage wires extending from the power supply to the customers premises. They normally serve only one (1) house or business.