Australian consumers’ average electricity bills can be decreased by 45% by saving power poles from premature replacement. The expected savings to electricity utilities would amount to about one billion dollars per annum if six million electrical poles in Australia are accurately tested.

Australian electric utilities are unnecessarily replacing or re-enforcing electrical poles that still have years of useful life.

Our proof load testing of poles condemned for replacement  has revealed that around 80% of them had residual strength sufficient for around 20 additional years of serviceable life.  

The present assessment of poles is very subjective. Poles are often replaced simply on the basis of their age rather than condition.    

Independent destructive testing of poles has found that the present pole inspection methods used in Australia condemn 40% of safe poles and miss 20% of unsafe poles.

For example, Western Power (in Western Australia) presently is replacing all its poles which are older than 40 years and re-enforcing all poles which are between 25 and 40 years old. A huge and unnecessary waste of resources.

In contrast to Australia, three New Zealand electric utilities are using effective pole testing technology and saving millions of dollars in pole replacement. Delta Utilities, a rather small utility of around 30,000 poles, reports savings of five million dollars per annum.   

For further information, please contact:

Robert Osmak on (07) 5496 7884 or email: robert.osmak@bigpond.com