Restoring Power

By Josh Filler, Vice President & Chief Operating Officer - Electric Operations

We do our best to avoid power outages, but some things are beyond our control. Major storms do not happen often, but when they do, they have the potential to cause catastrophic damage to our electric system. In those cases, extended outages are unavoidable. Here are some frequent questions we receive from members during power outages.

Do you know when my power goes out?

We have systems in place that can tell if members are without power, but the more information we have, the more accurate and efficient we can be. If we know about your outage, rest assured we are working to restore it. Call us at 1-888-535-5732 to report a power outage or emergency. You can also report outages through the SmartHub app or by logging into your account from myenergycoop.com. To view current outages, visit our outage map at myenergycoop.com/outages.

How do you prepare for power outages?

We take a proactive approach to maintenance that helps minimize the chance of prolonged outages. Year round, our crews are out trimming trees and clearing vegetation near the right-of-way. Maintaining our right-of-way improves power reliability for our entire community. In addition to managing vegetation, we regularly inspect utility poles, power lines and other critical equipment to maintain a more reliable system. Additionally, Energy Cooperative keeps a supply of extra utility poles, transformers and other equipment on hand so we can work quickly during an outage. When widespread outages occur, multiple crews head out into the field simultaneously to repair damage at multiple locations.

We also coordinate with nearby co-ops and contractors to bring in more crews when necessary. During this past storm, crews from several neighboring cooperatives and contractors helped restore power to our members. Those crews came from Butler Rural Electric Cooperative, Logan County Electric Cooperative, Union Rural Electric Cooperative, Inc., South Central Power Co., Consolidated Cooperative, Owen Electric Cooperative, Inc. from Kentucky and New River Electrical.

We also had forestry crews from W.A. Kendall, LaRoche Aviation and Hysong Tree Services on the system clearing trees and debris in the rights of way ahead of line crews.

Should I get a generator?

The purchase and installation of a generator is an important and serious decision. There are many reasons to consider a generator. Some members opt for a generator if they have well water or a sump pump. Generators are worth considering if someone in your household works from home, you have livestock, you drive an electric vehicle or a family member relies on an electrically powered medical device. Properly done, a generator can provide peace of mind knowing your family can ride out any outage with some degree of comfort. Whether you opt for a whole house or portable backup generator, do not connect the generator directly to your electrical system unless an electrician installs the proper isolation equipment. Improperly connected generators can easily back feed into our grid and pose a risk to line workers and the public.

My neighbor has power. Why is mine still off?

There are a couple of reasons your home could be without power when your neighbor’s lights are back on. First, your neighbor could have a home generator installed. If not, you could be on a different feeder or transformer from your neighbor. It is also possible your service line or the weatherhead connection (where the electric lines meet the electric meter) needs repaired before we can safely restore your power.

Mother Nature can be unpredictable, but as a member of the Energy Cooperative, we want you to feel confident knowing we are standing by, ready to restore power as quickly and safely as possible should outages occur.