Planting Near Transformers

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Transformers supply electrical energy to your home or business. Their function is to change high-voltage electricity to the lower voltage needed for the lights and appliances you use. In the past, transformers were mounted exclusively on power poles, well out of reach. Now power circuits are frequently placed underground, with transformers at ground level.

These pad-mounted transformers are usually green/yellow rectangular metal boxes/cabinets located next to sidewalks or roadways. Most units are about 0.6 metres (two feet) high and have one door. A few units are larger and have two sets of doors. The doors should always be locked, so if you ever come across one that isn't, please call us immediately at: 1 888 POWERON (1 888 769 3766) or *HYDRO (*49376) on your cell. Keep yourself and anyone else back at least 10 m (33 ft). There is a large identification number on the front of the transformer. Please provide this number to BC Hydro when you call.

We need access

When there is a power outage or emergency, or maintenance is required, power line technicians need to be able to gain access to the transformer quickly and easily. In order to work safely, power line technicians need a minimum of 2.5 m (8 ft.) clearance in front of the transformer doors. That is why it is important that you don't put up a fence, wall, structure or plantings that will restrict safe access to the unit.

Landscaping tips

Before planting

• Call BC One Call at 1 800 474 6886 for information about buried utility locations.
• Draw a planting plan showing the location of plants with none directly in front of the transformer doors.
• Note the height of the transformer. This information will help you select the appropriate plants.
• Show your plan to your local nursery. They can help with advice on plant selection and planting procedures for species that grow best in your climate.
• Be sure to consider the root characteristics of the plants you choose. It's important that root systems don't interfere with the wire ropes and other buried cables.

When planting, remember

• The duct-enclosed cables are buried about 0.9 m (3 ft) below grade.
• A wire rope, which surrounds the transformer, is buried about 0.3 m (one foot) below grade and located at a distance of 0.3 to 0.9 m from the pad.
• To ensure healthy plants, follow the proper planting procedures available at your local nursery.
• No plants or fixed structures are to be in front of the transformer doors.
• No plants are to be planted closer than 0.3 m (one foot) to the unit.

Shrub suggestions

It's important that the shrubs you place around the pad-mounted transformer are types that can be easily maintained. Trim them annually to maintain the necessary clearance.

Junipers, azaleas, viburnum, dwarf rhododendrons and mugho pines are excellent choices. Evergreen shrubs are often recommended and used because they provide year-round screening. Bushes that grow to a maximum height of 2–3 m (7–9 ft.) are ideal.