Power Outages

VIEW CURRENT POWER OUTAGES

Report Power Outages

What to do during an outage

1. Check your breakers and fuses to ensure the problem is not within your system.
2. Check with your neighbors to see if their power is off.
3. Report the outage immediately if you believe trouble is on ACEC’s lines.
   1. 1. Call our 24/7 power outage line at (855) 957-3881. This will put ACEC members in touch with our automated power outage reporting system. The system helps you experience fewer busy signals and provides important outage information.
      2. Report the power outage through your SmartHub account. Members can report the outage through the mobile app or by logging on to a desktop computer. Click “Report an Issue/Inquiry” and SmartHub will walk you through the process. Make sure you are also signed up to receive power outage notifications through your SmartHub account too! To learn more about SmartHub, click here.

Power Restoration Process

The path of power from a substation to your home isn’t always the shortest route possible. When delivering power, we use our existing facilities to keep costs as low as possible for our members. The example below shows how power is distributed on our system and how it impacts outage situations.

• Not always the shortest route
  In this example to the right, the fastest commute from the house to our substation is to take the main highways. However, the power that feeds the house travels down back roads to utilize existing facilities.
• Not always the most convenient route
  Did you know we have right-of-ways that aren’t located on roadways? In this example, there could be a tree on a power line, and because it isn’t located off a roadway, it may not be obvious or visible to know that’s where our problem is. When members experience power outages and our crews need to investigate, this is what we call “running out the line”, by tracing the path of power back to the substation that feeds your service. Just because you may not see crews working in your area, doesn’t mean they aren’t already on the job.
• The problem may not be near you
  If a contractor is digging near our substation and hits one of our underground wires, everyone fed on that line would be without power. In this situation, the problem could be 10 miles away from your home. It’s a good reminder that even though our electric facilities may appear in good working order closest to your home, there is a problem upstream from you that is causing an outage.

Watch this video for a lineman’s perspective on restoring a power outage.

Keep Your information current

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.

Outages

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.

Report Damaged Equipment
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 (downed power lines, trees or branches on lines, damage to underground facilities, etc.), please report it immediately by calling (800) 831-8629.

SERVICE INTERRUPTIONS

Preventive maintenance is the best tool against outages, but there are outages that may be caused by forces beyond our control. 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 our reasonable control. These causes include, but are not limited to acts of nature, equipment failure, and vehicular accidents. Members should immediately notify us 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.

Do you have a medical condition?
Some members may rely on electricity to support a medical condition. We cannot guarantee electricity 24/7/365. We highly encourage members with medical needs dependent on electricity to have a back up plan, whether that be staying with family or friends with power, having a generator, or other resources your medical provider may recommend.

Learn more about winter power outages

Safety Tips

Be Cautious With Generators
It’s great to be prepared with a generator in case you experience an outage, however, be sure your operating it correctly and safely. Never run a generator inside your home as this could lead to carbon monoxide poisoning. Never try to power your home by plugging a generator into a wall outlet. This is known as back feeding, and it could electrocute a neighbor or a linemen working to restore power.

Heating/Cooling Centers
Reach out to your local health and human service department to get a list of heating and cooling centers located near you in the event of a long duration outage or other emergency.

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 in your emergency kit may include:

• Emergency phone numbers (be sure to have our outage number)
• Flashlights
• Water and nonperishable foods
• Blankets
• First-aid kit
• Common tools
• Personal hygiene products
• Clothes
• Items for your pets

Downed Power Lines
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.

If you encounter a downed power line
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.