We all rely on electricity for daily tasks and it's easy to become complacent about the dangers of electricity around homes and businesses.
Every year, incidents involving electrical equipment cause fires, injuries and even death. Remembering some simple tips can help protect your family and property.
- Have a fire extinguisher approved for an electrical fire.
- Pull the plug, not the cord and don't use appliances or electronics with frayed or damaged cords.
- Keep kids away from cords and plugs, and review electrical safety with older children.
- Limit the number of devices plugged into a single circuit.
Preparing your home for restoration
If you have electric heat, please turn down your thermostats to prevent overloading the distribution system (and causing another outage) when power is restored.
Keep your fridge & freezer closed as much as possible. During prolonged outages, food will stay frozen about 2 days in a full freezer and 1 day in a half-full freezer. Covering your freezer with a blanket slows the thawing process.
Make sure your stove or other appliances with heating elements are turned off. This could create a safety hazard if you are not home when power is restored.
If you're electronics aren't protected with a surge protector, you may consider unplugging electrical equipment during an outage.
Leave an inside light and a porch light switched on, so you and EWEB repair crews will know when power has been restored.
Protect your electronic equipment
Electronics can be damaged by momentary high voltage, often called a surge or spike. Protecting your electronics is as simple as choosing a quality surge protector.
Know your electric panel
We regularly receive reports of power outages that are actually a tripped breaker on the customer's circuit panel. Checking your circuit panel before reporting an outage can save you hassle and money.
Generator safety
Using a generator when the power goes out is a great option, but safety should be the top priority for both you and utility workers.
Avoid downed power lines
Never touch a downed power line or anything it may be touching. If you see a downed power line, call us immediately at 1-844-484-2300.
Power outages
Need-to-know information during a power event. Find links to our outage map and don't forget to follow us on social media for the latest news.
