Excavator cuts cable

After power failure: customer must pay for damage

An excavator had inadvertently damaged the sheath of an electricity cable, but this was just the beginning of the trouble for the homeowner.(Bild: Scharinger Daniel)

After an excavator cut a cable during roadworks in Upper Austria, there was a short circuit in the house of a 58-year-old man. However, neither the household insurance nor the grid operator paid for the repair. The homeowner now has to pay the costs at his own expense.

It all started when roadworks were being carried out in Ried im Traunkreis. On July 16, there was a minor mishap: an excavator damaged a cable. The electricity in the street was switched off and the problem fixed. "Five minutes later, my wife heard a hissing noise and the smell of burning coming from the switch box in our house. At the same time, the power went out in the house," says local resident Josef S. (58).

Short circuit on overload switch
But it wasn't until the family had been without power for an hour that they contacted Netz OÖ. Another hour later, a technician was at the door. He quickly found the problem. "The smell of burning was caused by a short circuit via the mains-side overload switch." This circuit is responsible for protecting all the electronics in the house against mains overvoltages.

Cause of overvoltage in the grid
"The technician from Netz OÖ told us that this switch had to be replaced immediately," says Josef S., who immediately contacted his electrician. "The two experts then spoke to each other on the phone. They both assumed that the cause of the damage was a massive overvoltage in Netz OÖ's power supply network. Another cause for the short circuit in the overvoltage switch could be ruled out," explains the homeowner.

Insurance company cleans up
He then had the damage repaired straight away - at a cost of just under 200 euros. As the household insurance did not want to pay for the damage, he made a complaint to Netz OÖ. But they also turned him down.

Network operator does not compensate either
"Unfortunately, we have no legal basis to pay compensation in this case. Based on the special rules, we are also unable to offer a goodwill solution, as such payments are not approved by the regulatory authority in accordance with the principle of equal treatment," says press spokesman Wolfgang Denk.

However, Mr. S. has the option of calling the arbitration board of the regulatory authority e-Control or claiming compensation directly from the excavator company.