Outage FAQ
How do I report my power outage?How do I update my phone number so that it is correct in the outage system?
How do I report that my security light is out?
What should I do when the power goes off?
How often should I report my power outage?
Why does my neighbor have lights while my home is still without power?
What about customers with special medical needs?
How does PEC decide whose power gets restored first?
What should I do if a power line falls in my yard?
Should I help by removing trees from power lines?
How do I protect appliances in my house?
If power goes out, do I need to throw out all the food in my refrigerator and freezer?
Is a generator safe to use when I lose power?
What are some factors that cause power outages?
Q. How do I report my power outage?
A. To report a power outage, please call 1-877-272-1500 (toll-free inside PEC's service area) or (580) 272-1500 (local Ada calling area). Please have ready the name, telephone number, and address that is listed on the account where the outage is located. The automated system will try and match your caller id to the telephone number listed on your PEC account. If the number you are calling from is not listed as a telephone number on your account, the system will ask you if you are calling from the location with the outage. Please say "no" and give the system a telephone number listed on your PEC account. If you have details about the cause of the outage, please explain when prompted. We value all phone calls.
Q. How do I update my phone number so that it is correct in the outage system?
A. So that the emergency outage system will recognize your account when you call to report an outage, PEC needs your correct contact phone number(s). To update this information you may contact our customer service department at 1-877-456-3031 (toll-free inside PEC's service area) or (580) 332-3031 (local Ada calling area) and ask to speak with a customer service representative. You may also enter the information online using the following link PEC's Phone Number Update.
Q. How do I report that my security light is out?
A. If you need your security light repaired, please do not call the emergency outage phone number. Instead you may contact our customer service department at
1-877-456-3031 (toll-free inside PEC's service area) or (580) 332-3031 (local Ada calling area) and ask to speak with a customer service representative. They will create a service order for a PEC service technician to repair your security light.
Q. What should I do when the power goes off?
A. First check your fuse box or circuit breaker to see if a fuse has blown or a breaker has tripped. If your fuses and breakers are okay, check your neighbors' house for lights. If your neighbors have power, the problem may be just at your home. After you have checked these items, you should call PEC and report the outage.
Q. How often should I report my power outage?
A. Once you report an outage, please give PEC time to respond and repair the damage. The cause of the outage may be miles from your home, and thus you may not see PEC vehicles in your area. If your power has not been restored within a few hours of your first call, please call again. You should also call again if power is restored to your neighbors but not to your home.
Q. Why does my neighbor have lights while my home is still without power?
A. Your neighbor's home may be on a different line. For example, a three phase line may run right in front of your home, but you may receive power through a single-phase line running through your backyard from a different circuit. Also the problem may be on the wire between the pole and your home, or your phase of a three-phase line may be out while the other two are still operating.
Q. What about customers with special medical needs?
A. PEC maintains a list of customers who have medical equipment that requires electricity. Having a "life-threatening" form on file allows PEC to give customers with special medical needs priority in the restoration of their electric service, whenever it is reasonably possible to do so. Following severe lightening, wind, snow or ice storms, it's important to remember damage to PEC's distribution system may be extreme. In that case, it could take numerous hours, or even several days, to complete repairs. In case of severe storms, customers who must have electricity should be prepared with an emergency backup plan. The plan could include arrangements to move to an alternative location, use of a portable generator and/or installation of a battery backup on important electrical devices.
Q. How does PEC decide whose power gets restored first?
A. In large outage situations power must first be restored at the point it enters PEC's distribution system. Once this is accomplished, restoration efforts continue in areas where the greatest numbers of consumers are affected. Below is the general order in which PEC restores power:
Main feeder lines
Lateral taps with multiple services
Individual services and transformers are last to be repaired
Q. What should I do if a power line falls in my yard?
A. Consider all fallen wires to be energized, regardless of whether or not they appear to be safe. Report the fallen power line to PEC immediately. Make sure your children, pets and neighbors stay away from the power line and any objects it may be touching.
Q. Should I help by removing trees from power lines?
A. No, it is impossible to tell just by looking at them if power lines are energized. Live trees are excellent conductors of electricity, as are metal chain saw blades and bars. If power is out in your area, be aware that neighbors using electric generators incorrectly could be sending electricity into the lines. This could be deadly.
Q. How do I protect appliances in my house?
A. A lighting strike can send a surge of electricity through your home, potentially damaging appliances. Computers, TV's and other electronic equipment are expensive investments that are worthy of protecting from storm-related damage. Surge protectors provide a defense against surges. For information on protecting your electronic devices view PEC's HomeGuard® products.
Q. If power goes out, do I need to throw out all the food in my refrigerator and freezer?
A. To minimize the loss of food during a power outage, limit the number of times you open your refrigerator or freezer door. If the doors remain closed, refrigerated food can remain safely cold for about four hours; frozen food can remain safe for two days if the freezer is full and the doors remain closed.
Q. Is a generator safe to use when I lose power?
A. A generator can be a wonderful tool during an outage, especially in helping keep the frozen food in your refrigerator cool. But, it can also be extremely dangerous if used improperly.
Be aware that it's against the law, and a violation of electrical codes, to connect a generator to your home's electrical circuits without a generator transfer switch automatic-interrupt device. Otherwise, if a generator is online when electrical service is restored, it can become a major fire hazard. In addition, the improper connection of a generator to your home's electrical circuits may endanger service crews helping to restore power in your area.
Q. What are some factors that cause power outages?
A. There are several factors that could cause an outage in your area such as high winds blowing trees and branches onto power lines, vehicles striking and breaking utility poles, high winds breaking utility poles, animals such as birds, snakes, and squirrels climbing poles and contacting both pole and power line, snow and ice causing power lines to break or touch tree branches.