Facilities Management installs new technology to reduce wildlife-related power outages

University of Kentucky Facilities Management is taking steps to improve power reliability by addressing an increasingly common challenge: wildlife interfering with electrical infrastructure on campus. 

In recent years, a third of power outages on campus have been linked to squirrels entering substations and coming in contact with energized equipment, which can trip breakers and cut power to sections of campus and UK HealthCare. Although outages are not frequent, averaging about three per year the last five years, their impact can be significant. Even brief interruptions can disrupt academic operations and research, as well as affect healthcare, residential and athletic facilities.  

“Squirrel outages are on the rise,” said Jacob Badstibner, utilities systems engineer associate. “When an outage occurs, our high voltage crew reacts immediately to restore power. If we can prevent squirrels from causing outages, we can prevent roughly a third of power outages on campus.” 

To address the issue, Utilities and Energy Management (UEM) recently installed a specialized wildlife deterrent fence at one of UK’s substations. The system safely discourages animals such as squirrels, rabbits, opossums, raccoons and snakes from entering the area.  

“These types of outages have long been a nuisance at UK. Many prior solutions were too expensive, too disruptive or not effective enough,” said Steven Hughes, utilities systems manager. “Jacob's research and project management has given us a virtually 100% effective solution for a relatively low cost at our most susceptible substation."  

This project also highlights the hands-on experiences and career opportunities available to UK students in Facilities Management. Badstibner first joined the UEM team as a student employee in September 2024 while studying electrical engineering at UK.  

“I wanted to work in a high voltage field before graduation to see what the work was like,” Badstibner said. “This job gave me the chance to learn directly from experienced engineers and really understand how these systems function.” 

As a student, one of Badstibner’s first tasks was to gather information on how squirrel outages had been occurring and come up with potential solutions based on the findings. The study led to the implementation of the wildlife deterrent fence. He also helped document the university’s electrical system, working closely with engineers to create drawings and better understand the infrastructure on campus. Badstibner continued as a student employee through graduation and transitioned to a full-time position in August 2025.  

“I loved the position. I loved learning from the team in UEM,” he said. “It really turned me on to working in the power world.”  

Now, Badstibner is contributing to projects, such as this, that directly impact the university.  

“It’s cool to know that you are working behind the scenes to keep campus running,” Badstibner said. “Being a student here and then getting to work to help power campus has given me a really interesting perspective. Most people aren't aware of the work that UEM does, but it is crucial to the operation of the university."