It’s Friday night, and a thunderstorm rolls in. You’re watching your favorite show when—blink—the power cuts out for a second. Your TV shuts off, the clocks reset, and frustration sets in.
But here’s the upside: that brief power flicker likely prevented you from experiencing a longer power outage.
That momentary outage could mean you just avoided a lengthy outage.
At BGE, we use smart technology – called Distribution Automation – to prevent and reduce the duration of outages.
To give you an idea of how this technology works, here’s what happens.
When something like a tree branch or animal contacts a power line, it creates a fault. A recloser, which is a device that acts like a circuit breaker for the grid, quickly opens and closes to allow time for the fault to clear. That’s what causes the brief flicker. If the obstruction is gone—say, a branch falls away—your power stays on, and there’s no need for a crew to make repairs.
If the fault doesn’t clear, the system goes one step further. It isolates the damaged section and reroutes power from other parts of the grid. That keeps as many customers as possible in service while crews make repairs.
In 2024, this technology prevented more than 2 million outages. So, while a brief flicker might be inconvenient, it’s a sign that smart technology is working behind the scenes to keep your lights on.
It’s all part of how BGE is building a more reliable and resilient grid—one that can respond faster, recover quicker, and keep your life moving.
Good energy keeps us connected—and sometimes, that starts with a flicker.
