Restoring Power
Great...the power just went out. Now what?
Power outages are rare. But when they happen, they never happen at a good time. Fortunately, we’re always prepared to act. Here’s a look at a few things you can check in your home and how we prioritize and restore power as quickly as safety allows.
Power outages are rare. But when they happen, they never happen at a good time. Fortunately, we’re always prepared to act. Here’s a look at a few things you can check in your home and how we prioritize and restore power as quickly as safety allows.
A word to the wise.
If you go outside, always be on the lookout for downed lines. Stay clear of any downed line and report it to us as quickly as possible.
It’s not you. It’s us.
If you’re not the only one without power, you should get outage updates by text from us if we have your current mobile number. You can update your information online, on the PGE mobile app, or by calling PGE Customer Service at 503-228-6322. And you can check the outage map for information about your outage and where we are in the restoration process.
How long is this going to take?
We work as quickly as safety allows but we prioritize public health and safety facilities such as hospitals, clinics and other utilities like water, sewer, natural gas and telephone. You can check the outage map for restoration updates, and if you're a residential or small business customer, you should hear from us by text as well.
It’s a long chain, and somewhere there’s a broken link.
From generation to your home there are several . We look to see if there’s an issue with the generation facility first. If so, we switch over to other resources to keep the power flowing. All that power flows on high voltage transmission lines. These lines serve as superhighways serving hundreds of thousands of customers and a top priority for PGE crews is there’s an issue with them.
Bear with us, it could be a little while.
The transmission lines flow to substations, the next critical link in the chain. They reduce the high voltage from transmission lines and act as a distribution and switching system to the homes and businesses they serve. From the substation, feeder lines travel to the neighborhoods, typically serving a few thousand customers. Trees during storms and wildlife, like squirrels, can take out a line. Even a car crash can take out a service pole. When there’s an outage, these are usually the most likely culprit.
What’s on tap?
Tap lines move power from the feeder lines down individual streets. Tap lines serve 20-30 homes, a little less in rural areas. If you see crews in your neighborhood, this is usually what they are assessing or repairing.
Which brings us back to you.
It could be that the service line to your house has been damaged. This is the most difficult and time-consuming step. Crews must visit individual homeowners’ property in order to make repairs.
Backup generators
Generators can be a convenient backup during a power outage when used correctly. Review safety tips to protect yourself and our crews.
Plan for medical needs
Use medical life-support equipment? Have a plan in place and consider a backup generator in case of an extended power outage.