Power Quality

IF YOUR POWER GOES OFF

If your power goes off, first check the main electrical panel(s) to see if a fuse has blown or a breaker has tripped. If the problem is not in the main panel(s), check with neighboring businesses or residences to see if others in your area are affected. If the problem is not in your facility, or if others are involved, call your local Warren RECC office. We are available to serve you 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. To report an outage in Warren County, call 843-9710. In all other areas, call 1-888-604-4321 .

PREPARING FOR AN OUTAGE
We strive to provide uninterrupted service to all our members, especially those with critical needs and processes. Forces of nature, unusual loading, mechanical failure, accidents, and other occurrences can cause even the best planned and maintained electric distribution system to experience outages.

In order to respond to any interruption of service, a plan of action for an outage will help your facility maintain organization and keep you prepared for the restoration of power. We recommend the following points be included in your facilities plan.

DESIGNATE PERSONNEL FOR REPORTING OUTAGES
Post emergency numbers to call.
Post the Certificate Number and Map Number for the facility.

MAINTAIN EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS ITEMS
Flashlight and batteries
Emergency lighting systems
Spare fuses

DESIGNATE PERSONNEL TO RESPOND TO OUTAGES
Assign duties according to your specific facility and process.

REVIEW HOW YOUR FACILITY HANDLES AN OUTAGE
Critique actions taken.
Contact Warren RECC for assistance in developing or revising your plan.

REPORTING AN OUTAGE
When you report an outage, give us the name in which your business receives service. It would also be very helpful if you give your Certificate Number and Map Number as listed on your electric bill. In order to keep our member files current, we will ask you for your address and telephone number. If you know the cause of the outage, please describe it (i.e., a limb on the line, a pole has been hit by a car, loud pop from transformer, etc.). Your help may save a great deal of time in restoring service.

Whenever an outage affects a large number of members, we will activate our automated call handling system. This enables us to handle a large number of calls quickly and efficiently. The system works for members with touch tone telephones. Users of rotary dial telephones will be prompted to leave a message.

DURING AN OUTAGE
Turn off all electrical equipment that was on when the power went off, especially heat pumps, air conditioners, motors, fans, heaters, furnaces and other electrical equipment. Prepare all equipment as for an initial start up. Clear all parts from machinery and verify that all equipment guards are in their proper position for starting.

If your facility has a standby power source, utilize proper transfer switches for connecting your emergency power source to the respective equipment.
MAKE SURE ALL PERSONNEL ARE AWARE OF THE FACT THAT CERTAIN EQUIPMENT MAY BE ENERGIZED DURING AN OUTAGE!
Verify that proper voltage levels are supplied to equipment powered by standby power sources. Allow only authorized personnel to open and close transfer switches at appropriate times.

WARNING: If you use a standby power source to provide electricity to your facility, you could injure or kill a utility worker who is working on the line if your equipment is not installed properly. Contact Warren RECC for assistance in installing and operating standby power sources.

If your facility has refrigeration equipment (refrigerators, freezers, walk-in coolers, etc.), keep doors to this equipment closed during the outage. As a general rule, perishables will keep for up to 48 hours in a freezer. Blankets, tarps, etc., used as insulation, and weather conditions may affect length of time items can remain in this equipment.

Make sure everyone at your facility knows what to do in the event of a power outage. Teach them the procedures to be used in shutting off equipment, whether to remain at their work station or assemble at a central area, and how to restart equipment when power is restored. Provide adequate emergency lighting and proper illumination equipment for use during the outage.

SAFETY FIRST! Stay away from any downed lines and broken utility poles. Do not attempt to remove trees or limbs from lines. Notify us immediately of downed lines or broken poles and prevent others from coming into contact with them. Even lines that look harmless can be very dangerous. Make sure all personnel understand the dangers associated with downed power lines.

POWER RESTORATION
Power restoration procedures are very simple. First, power is restored to areas where the greatest numbers of residential and commercial customers are affected. Below is the order in which Warren RECC restores power:

1. Primary transmission lines from the generation facility
2. Substations
3. Main feeder lines (69,000 volts) repairs in populated residential areas
4. Three-phase lines in the most populated areas
5. Three-phase lines in all other areas
6. Single-phase lines
7. Individual services and transformers are the last to be repaired