What to do during an outage
Watch this video for a lineman’s perspective on restoring a power outage.
Watch our video below that outlines our plan of action for restoring power after a major power outage occurs.
ACEC needs your help to keep our member database up-to-date. Having current information is invaluable when reporting a power outage or other emergency. With current telephone numbers (including cell phones) entered into our power outage reporting system, we can efficiently respond to the trouble spot. It also ensures we can contact you in an emergency.
Give us a call at 800-831-8629 or e-mail us at acec@acecwi.com to update your contact information. We respect the privacy of our members; our database is confidential and is only used for official cooperative business.
We know you rely on us to restore your power after an outage. We work hard to deliver safe, reliable electricity to all members. So, the big question is; what causes power outages? Many outages are caused by weather, animals, and nature but there are other ways outages occur. The public may also cause an outage (car-pole accident, digging and hitting an underground line, etc.) And occasionally, equipment may fail.
Preventive maintenance is the best tool against outages, but there are outages caused by acts of nature, equipment failure and even vehicular accidents that are beyond the control of the Cooperative.
We cannot guarantee continuous and uninterrupted electric service and will not be liable for loss or damage to any member’s equipment caused by any failure to supply electricity or by any interruption or reversal of the supply of electricity if due to any cause beyond the reasonable control of the Cooperative. These causes include, but are not limited to acts of nature, equipment failure, and vehicular accidents. Members should immediately notify the Cooperative of any defect in service or of any trouble or irregularity in the electric supply.
Are you protected?
Many losses occur due to acts of nature or equipment failure beyond the control of the cooperative. Individual members must provide their own protection against these losses.
It may not look like anything is happening, but the lines may still be energized and are very dangerous. If you come across downed power lines, contact us as soon as possible.
Although you may not see any damage on your property or street, there may be damage to the equipment that brings the electricity to your neighborhood. If you do see damage, please report it immediately.
Have an emergency kit ready. Our crews work as quickly and safely as they can to restore power, but it may take time to assess the full extent of the damage to our system and make the necessary repairs to restore power to your home. This kit includes items to get you by for a couple of days should an emergency strike.
Items to include in your emergency kit:
Stay in the car and tell others to do the same. If you come upon an accident involving power lines, do not approach the accident scene. If you see someone approaching, warn them to stay away. Call 911 to notify emergency personnel and utility services. Do not leave your vehicle until a utility professional has told you it is safe to do so.
The safest place to be is almost always inside the car. The only circumstance when you should exit the vehicle is if it is on fire—and those instances are rare. If you must exit the vehicle, jump clear of it with your feet together and without touching the vehicle and ground at the same time. Continue to “bunny hop” with your feet together to safety. Doing this will ensure that you are at only one point of contact and will not have different strengths of electric current running from one foot to another, which can be deadly.