essential power outage information
eSSENTIAL steps to take DURING A POWER OUTAGE
1. Confirm that the power breakers on your main house panel have not tripped, then…
A. Please call (270) 651-8341 and press (0) to attempt to contact a live dispatcher so you may report your name, address, and phone number as well as any other information that might help in the process of locating and resolving the issue (i.e. “I heard a loud boom by the pole” or “I noticed my whole neighborhood seems to be without power.”) If you are unable to get through to a live GEPB representative, it is incredibly likely that the outage is a widespread issue where hundreds, if not thousands of customers are attempting to call and report their service issue.
B. If you are unable to reach GEPB staff via phone due to high call volume, please stay tuned for updates on the outage on our Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram: @GlasgowEPB.
C. If you are able to reach a GEPB staff member during an outage, please keep your report brief. Complaints and information that is not pertinent during a crisis such as a large power outage only busies up the phone lines. Thus keeping other customers from being able to report their service issues. If you would like to make a complaint or detail further service issues that are unrelated to the power outage, you can do so using the contact form here or by calling (270) 651-8341 after your power has been restored.
2. While waiting for power to be restored, consider the following:
A. Switch off major power consumers such as central heat/air units, washing machines, and ovens (assuming they were on prior to the outage). Turning off these items while the power is already out may seem silly, but this action will keep the power “surge” to a minimum when your electricity is eventually restored.
B. Turn your front porch light switch on. This may seem contradictory to the previous point, but a small front light will not have a great impact on the returning power surge, and will help our crews to identify that power has been restored to your residence if they are working in your neighborhood.
C. If you have called and properly reported your power service issue, be prepared to confirm whether all of your GEPB services have been restored when our staff calls back for confirmation after restoration.
D. Avoid going outside, especially around poles or lines that have been downed. This is incredibly hazardous and can result in severe injury or death.
E. If you must go outside and are required to drive during a widespread power outage, avoid known areas of damage in order to allow GEPB vehicles and personnel quick access to these locations for repair.
3. The most frequently asked question during a power outage: When will the power be back on?
The answer any time that question is asked during a widespread outage will be that we don’t currently know. Every power outage is different, and every outage takes a different length of time to restore service to all affected. Our support staff answering the phone will do their best to give you an understanding of how large or small the issue is and how long they anticipate, but there is no guarantee for how long an outage will take to resolve. That is why is it highly requested that you simply report your service issue to our staff and then disconnect the call and stay tuned to our social media pages for latest official updates.
gLASGOW EPB POWER GRID RESTORATION PRIORITIES
In any outage, the staff at the Glasgow EPB work diligently to restore power to the most customers possible in the shortest amount of time. Therefore, the goal is to restore services in the following priority (which
also coordinates with what it actually takes to get power to your home):
Transmission Lines – These lines feed power from TVA to GEPB substations. Our line crew will either repair these lines immediately or, if possible, try to re-configure the GEPB power grid to get these feeds to our substations and repair the lines after the crisis is controlled.
(All GEPB power customers can be affected by the loss of these lines)
Substations – Everyone in the GEPB service area is fed from one of the GEPB’s eight substations. Since problems within a substation are unique in nature, repairs could be time-consuming. Therefore, the normal course of action would be to reconfigure the power grid to carry the energy load from other substations if possible until professional repairs can be scheduled.
(Groups of up to 1500 customers can be affected by the loss of a substation)
Breaker Circuits – Up to five breakers per substation provide three-phase feeds out to selected sections of town. Breaker problems will more than likely be another case where the GEPB would re-route the normal load from the breaker to either a neighboring breaker within the substation or another breaker from another substation.
(No more than 500 customers should be affected by the loss of a breaker)
Three-Phase Primary Lines – These lines are major distribution circuit arteries throughout Glasgow. They’re used to re-route power between breakers when necessary.
(Failure to one of these line sections can possibly affect up to 500 customers)
Line Fuses – The failure of a fuse is what you would normally hear when you lose power if you hear anything at all. These fuses protect GEPB radial lines from main arterial primary lines.
(Up to 50 customers can be affected by one of these fuses blowing)
Distribution Transformers – These units supply the final voltage conversion needed at a residence or business. The service to your house is attached to one transformer.
(Up to 10 customers can be fed by one transformer)
Service Drop – This is the power line going to your building from the transformer. The final priority of the GEPB during a big power outage is the service drop. If you have an overhead service drop to your house in close proximity to a tree, you run the risk of that tree damaging the service drop (as well as the riser pole and meter base, which are both the responsibility of you, our customer). This can be a significant unexpected cost, not to mention being our lowest priority during a widespread power outage (remember, the main priority of the GEPB during an outage is getting the greatest number of customers back on in the shortest time).