How We Restore Power

My Power Is Out - Now What?

STEP 1: Reports Come In
If your power goes out, report it to us as soon as possible, providing as many details as you can. Even if your neighbors have already called it in, submitting your own report helps us pinpoint the issue.

Please do not report your outage by email or through social media as we are not always immediately available.

Let us know if you see fallen power lines, but DO NOT approach them. They pose a potentially deadly threat.

STEP 2: Assessment and 911 Calls
Our first priority is always to de-energize fallen lines. Dispatchers also begin sending crews to determine the extent of reported outages and which equipment they need for repairs.

STEP 3: Repairs Begin
Crews get to work on repairs, starting with substations and major lines, working their way down to individual homes like yours.

STEP 4: Patience
Due to the complicated nature of the power grid, your electricity may not come on at the same time as your neighbor's.

If you see trucks near your property and they leave before you are restored, this means they need to make repairs elsewhere before your power can come back on. The issue may be further down the line, or there may be a larger part of the outage that needs to be restored before they can return to your specific property.

Meter Base Damage
If your meter base is damaged, an electrical inspection is required before we can restore service. Here is the contact information for southeast Michigan inspectors and southwest Michigan inspectors.

A Note About Restoration Times 
When your power goes out, we know the first thing you think is, "How long will this last?"

The unfortunate truth, particularly in major storms, is we don’t know. It takes time to find and assess the true extent of the damage. Think of it like remodeling your house; you don’t know exactly what you will encounter until you start tearing down walls.

Once we have fully assessed the damage and repair needs, we can provide rough estimates on when the lights will come back.

Why Do My Lights Blink?
We utilize oil circuit reclosers (OCR) to act essentially as breakers on the system.

When things like animals or branches come into contact with our lines, an OCR opens and then closes again quickly. Hence, the blink. If the disturbance on the line remains, the OCR will continue to trip two more times. If after the third blink, the disturbance still remains, the OCR remains open, resulting in a power outage.

Overall, OCRs help protect the entire system, and they also isolate outages and reduce the number of impacted customers.