LIGHTNING ARRESTER – A wire is strung along the tops of the poles to ground any direct lightning strikes. This wire is attached to a grounding wire that runs down the side of the wooden pole.

SUBTRANSMISSION LINES – When transmission lines pass close to an area that needs to be served, the electricity is stepped-down. Subtransmission lines carry electricity to local transformers. The uninsulated aluminum cable has shorter stacks of glass insulators on the poles than the transmission lines.

LOCAL DISTRIBUTION LINES – After a substation steps down the voltage, only one insulator is needed.

TRANSFORMER – The can-shaped transformer on the pole steps down the voltage to 240 volts. Three wires carry the electricity to the home. One wire is white, one is black, and the other is an uninsulated grounding wire. One transformer can serve up to twelve homes.