Frequently Asked Questions
What should I do when the power goes out?
Our power system is very reliable; however, if you should loose power to your home, use the following guidelines to help you:
Check to see if your circuit breakers have tripped. Are your neighbor's lights on, or is the entire surrounding area out?
Keep our customer service number readily available. Call us any time at 298-6072.
Your call may be answered by our automated (Porche) system. If so, then there is an outage that we are working on somewhere in the City. Please respond to its questions -- we may not be aware of the outage in your area. The automated system will log your address, phone number and name from its files. The system also helps us pinpoint the outage area. When the outage is over, the system will call you back and ask if your power is back on.
Turn off any electrical appliances that may have been running, such as washer, dryer or space heater. When power is restored it will help prevent overload.
Switch your porch light and one inside light on, so you and our crews will know when your service is restored.
If you notice that your neighbor's power comes back on, but yours does not, please call us again.
When do power outages happen?
When trees or branches are knocked down by wind, snow or ice into the power lines.
When lightning strikes a transformer or other electrical equipment.
When vehicle accidents cause utility poles to be knocked over or sway enough to cause the power lines to short together and trip off the circuit.
When equipment overload occurs on hot days when air conditioners are working hard to keep things cool, or in cold weather when electric heaters may be turned on all around the city.
When underground power lines are dug-up or broken.
When animals come in contact with lines.
When circuit overload occurs inside your home. Please check your fuses or breakers first. If they still trip off, call a professional electrician to take care of the problem.
When the main breaker, often located outside, has been turned off by someone.