I think squirrels already cause a lot of damage to above ground power lines by chewing through insulation. I know they have done that in my neighborhood in the past. Maybe they have new insulation now. "Squirrel-caused grid disruption in the U.S. is monitored by the American Public Power Association (APPA). The APPA has developed a data tracker called "The Squirrel Index" (TSqI) to analyze the pattern and timing of "squirrel attacks" on electrical power systems.
We do have ravens and eagles take down the grid occasionally here, but I have never heard of it happening due to squirrels. I did lose the power to a security camera that was chewed by a squirrel though.
"What happens during DC Squirrel Week? It varies from year to year and seems restricted to the pages of the Washington Post: sometimes a week of offbeat stories about squirrels, sometimes a photo contest, and sometimes a squirrel expert answering reader questions both serious (“What should someone know about having a pet squirrel”) and tongue-in-cheek (“Is it true that squirrels are Satan’s minions and thus cannot be harmed by worldly weapons?”)." "I don’t know if Squirrel Week has any currency beyond the nation’s capital, but there is a Squirrel Appreciation Day celebrated on January 21, started by a North Carolina wildlife rehabilitator." READ MORE
Why animals and power don’t mix “Electric co-ops can minimize outages without injuring animals. Guards can be installed easily without de-energizing the circuit,” notes Jim Stanley, a product marketing manager in 3M’s Electrical Markets Division. "Alternatives such as the Rauckman Wildlife Shield™ and ZAPShield™ create a barrier to keep teething squirrels, rodents, snakes, and other animals away from dangerous parts of electrical infrastructure. Frisbee-sized plastic or metal discs guard equipment in substations, too." "Animal guards are not foolproof. But the measures help drive down the number of outages caused by animals. Another option is building habitats to help animals and power safely co-exist."
Chewing just to wear down their teeth is one thing. You could probably provide something the squirrels prefer to chew on easily enough. Stealing food from feeders or gardens is different. The more food you put out, the more squirrels show up. The city here is over-populated with squirrels. You can't help but sympathize with them just a little. The city needs to have roundup days. Haul the squirrels out to the country and turn them loose so the locals can shoot them. I guess you could say stop feeding the birds altogether. All the birds are moving to town also. Life is tough. It's not nice to toy with Mother Nature.
Out my way, bear are a bigger problem than squirrels. People are advised to only put out feeders in the winter. My struggle was with other critters: That's the sunflower seed feeder. Of course he's not gonna go after the cheap stuff. I used to have many feeders out all year long, but for some reason I lost interest. I had a feeder with mixed seed, one with sunflower seeds, and an open tray with a fruit & nut mix hanging on the only tree in my front yard. I had a thistle feeder all by itself in the back field for goldfinches. I had a coiled "wreath" type ring that held peanuts for the pileated woodpeckers strung way high in a tree far away from the house (they tend to be skittish.) Then there were scattered suet holders...plus a few hummingbird feeders. I even put out a couple of ground feeders, but only attracted fox & groundhogs. I never had issues with squirrels because I have a large lot and the trees are in the middle of fields. There were plenty of squirrels at the treeline, but I think the hawks & owls kept them under cover.