How Refurbished Bushings Extend Equipment Life—and Reduce Waste
For utilities and OEMs, replacing aging electrical infrastructure often comes down to balancing performance, reliability, and cost. But in many cases, the smartest decision isn’t replacing at all—it’s refurbishing. At Piedmont Bushing & Insulators (PBI), we help customers extend the life of their assets through precision bushing refurbishment, delivering renewed performance with measurable sustainability and cost advantages.
In this post, we’ll explore how refurbished bushings can extend equipment life, reduce environmental impact, and fit into broader grid modernization strategies—all without compromising reliability.
The Case for Refurbishment
Bushings are high-voltage dielectric components critical to the safe operation of breakers, transformers, and switchgear. Over time, they experience wear from:
Thermal and electrical cycling
Moisture ingress
UV and environmental exposure
Mechanical stress and aging
Traditionally, utilities defaulted to full bushing replacement when these signs appeared. But modern materials and manufacturing techniques have made refurbishment a practical, proven alternative—especially when structural components (like the core housing or flange) remain intact.
At PBI, we offer custom bushing refurbishment services that return worn units to near-original performance standards. The result is a cost-effective, environmentally responsible solution with short lead times and extended asset life.
What Refurbishment Involves
Our refurbishment process includes:
Inspection & Evaluation – We assess structural integrity and determine if the bushing is a candidate for refurbishment.
Disassembly & Cleaning – Old dielectric and mechanical components are removed and replaced.
Precision Rebuilding – New parts are fabricated using high-performance materials like PBI's Resin impregnation process to create a new capacitive graded insulation for the bushing
Testing & Validation – Refurbished bushings are subjected to mechanical and dielectric tests to ensure they meet or exceed the original specifications.
This approach gives customers a component that functions like new — with improved performance due to the enhanced material properties of modern RIP process
Sustainability Benefits: Less Waste, More Value
For utilities and cooperatives with sustainability mandates or decarbonization goals, refurbishment offers a low-impact alternative to replacement:
Reduced Landfill Waste
Reusing bushing bodies and hardware avoids unnecessary scrap, especially for legacy or custom components where replacements may be hard to source.
Lower Carbon Footprint
Refurbishing domestically uses less energy and transportation than manufacturing new units offshore. Combined with PBI’s U.S.-based production, this cuts shipping emissions and supports local industry.
Material Conservation
By leveraging existing structural components, refurbishment conserves critical raw materials like copper, steel, and specialty ceramics.
When applied across dozens—or hundreds—of units, these small choices add up to major environmental and operational wins.
Financial Advantages: Extend Life, Cut Cost
Refurbishment also delivers tangible bottom-line benefits:
30%–60% cost savings compared to full replacements
Lead times of 3–6 weeks (vs. 12–20+ for OEM replacements)
Custom fit for legacy systems or discontinued models
Reduced downtime with faster turnaround and fewer field modifications
In a time when capital budgets are under pressure and OEM parts are harder to come by, refurbishment offers a flexible, resilient sourcing strategy.
PBI’s Refurbishment Advantage
What sets PBI apart is our in-house engineering and manufacturing, located entirely in the U.S. We don’t just clean and return your components—we rebuild them using precision tooling and modern materials to perform better and last longer.
Our refurbished bushings are often used in:
Circuit breaker modernization projects
Substation asset life extension programs
Grid reliability initiatives focused on aging infrastructure
Replacement of discontinued or OEM-obsolete parts
And thanks to our RIP capacitive grading, we can often improve thermal and dielectric performance over the original units.
Industry Trends: Why Refurbishment Is on the Rise
Several key trends are making refurbishment a priority across the utility sector:
Grid Hardening & Modernization
As utilities seek to harden infrastructure against extreme weather, refurbishment offers a low-cost way to reinforce existing assets and meet reliability goals.
Supply Chain Constraints
Global sourcing delays and tariffs have made OEM bushing availability unpredictable. PBI’s domestic refurbishment services ensure faster, more reliable turnaround.
ESG & Sustainability Commitments
More utilities are being held to carbon reporting and sustainability metrics. Refurbishment supports these goals by reducing waste and energy consumption.
Asset Management Strategies
Refurbishment extends the useful life of capital assets, allowing utilities to get more value out of existing systems while deferring costly replacements.
Is Your Bushing a Good Candidate?
Bushings are often viable for refurbishment if:
The core structure is intact and corrosion-free
There is no severe internal dielectric damage
Mounting hardware is reusable or replaceable
Original specs or dimensions can be verified (drawings or samples)
Refurbished bushings aren’t a compromise—they’re a smart, sustainable, and cost-effective solution for extending the life of high-voltage systems. At PBI, we combine advanced materials, precision engineering, and U.S.-based manufacturing to help utilities and OEMs do more with what they have—while reducing waste and avoiding delays.
Whether you're managing a grid modernization program or looking to keep legacy equipment in the field, refurbishment can help you meet performance, budget, and sustainability goals.