Power outages Archives | Citizens Utility Board

News you can use: Power Outage Tips

Jim Chilsen — Wed, 08 Jun 2022 12:27:35 +0000

Be prepared in case of power outages. CUB compiled these tips from a number of sources, including the Red Cross and Ready.gov. What can I do to prepare for a power outage? Line up a support network. Keep a paper copy of a list of people (and their numbers) who can help you stay at home or evacuate during an extended power outage. Prepare an emergency kit that includes a first aid kit, one flashlight for each person in the home, extra batteries, food and water, a radio, extra cash and any important documents that might be helpful (a list of medications your family takes, important medical information, your support network list, etc.) Prepare a pet emergency kit to meet the needs of your companion animals. Have food and water ready. Stock up on non-perishable food and water supplies. You need about a gallon of water per person per day. Have coolers and ice ready to extend food refrigeration. Also, keep a thermometer in your fridge, freezer or cooler so you can monitor the food temperature when you need to. Determine whether your home phone will work in a power outage, and if it has a battery backup, how long that will last. Have communication devices that work without home power. (For example a crank or battery radio, chargers/batteries for your cellphones.) Talk to your doctor and medical device provider so you have a plan for how to deal with medicines that need refrigeration and medical devices powered by electricity. Find out how long medication can be stored at higher temperatures. Consider safe alternatives for lighting, cooking and elevators. Make sure you have weatherized your doors and windows to keep your home cool for as long as possible during an outage. Make sure that you have current surge protectors for household electronics. Keep your car gas tank at least half full. What do I do during a power outage? Contact your support network. Let people in your network know that you are OK. Also, monitor alerts about the outage. (See below.) Keep your freezers and refrigerators closed as much as possible. The refrigerator will keep food cold for about four hours. A full freezer will keep the temperature for about 48 hours (24 hours if it is half full). First, use perishable food from the refrigerator. Perishables should have a temperature under 40 degrees Fahrenheit to be safe to eat. (Use a food thermometer to check, and throw out the food if it’s 40 degrees or higher. When in doubt throw it out.) THEN use food from the freezer. And THEN use your non-perishable foods and staples. If it looks like the power outage will continue beyond a day, prepare a cooler with ice for your freezer items. Keep food in a dry, cool spot and keep it covered at all times. Monitor temperatures with a thermometer. Prevent power overloads and fire hazards. Unplug appliances and electronics to avoid power overloads or damage from power surges. Use flashlights, not candles. If any circuit breakers have been tripped, contact an electrician to inspect them before turning them on. Prevent carbon monoxide […]

The post News you can use: Power Outage Tips appeared first on Citizens Utility Board.

Tips in the aftermath of a storm

Jim Chilsen — Thu, 16 Dec 2021 12:04:04 +0000

We are seeing more and more examples of violent, dangerous and disruptive weather. Some utility-related tips and resources in the aftermath of a storm: What safety precautions should I take after a storm? Never approach a downed power line, always assume it’s energized and extremely dangerous. Call your utility immediately to report a downed line: ComEd, 1-800-334-7661 (1-800-EDISON-1) or Ameren, 1-800-755-5000. Check out these tips from: The state of Illinois The federal government (tips on severe weather, power outages, and medical devices during an outage) The American Red Cross (Also, food safety tips) ComEd (The utility’s storm center is here. Storm tips are here.) Ameren (Storm information is here, and outage tips are here.) Some key tips after major storms or during power outages: Beware of strolling the neighborhood after a major storm. Stay away from fallen or low-hanging wires or anything they contact, and be especially cautious near metal fences. Stay alert for natural gas odors. If you smell natural gas, or if you hear a blowing or hissing noise, leave the area immediately and call your utility. Turn off or disconnect appliances, equipment, or electronics. Keep refrigerator and freezer doors closed as much as possible. An unopened refrigerator will keep foods cold for about 4 hours. A full freezer will keep the temperature for about 48 hours (24 hours if it is half full) if the door remains closed. First use perishable food from the refrigerator. Perishables should have a temperature of 40 degrees Fahrenheit or below to be safe to eat. (Use a food thermometer to check.) THEN use food from the freezer. And THEN use your non-perishable foods and staples. If in doubt about the safety of food, throw it out. If it looks like the power outage will continue beyond a day, prepare a cooler with ice for your freezer items. Keep food in a dry, cool spot and keep it covered at all times. Beware of scams. In the past, the Illinois Emergency Management Agency and the Illinois Attorney General’s office have warned people in storm-damaged areas to watch out for scammers looking to exploit homeowners and business owners who may be in need of repairs. Never pre-pay for repair services. If you are contacted and suspect fraud, report the incident to your local law enforcement, or contact the Illinois AG’s Consumer Fraud Hotline at 1-800-386-5438; 1-800-964-3013 (TTY). Stay away from downed power lines. Don’t try to “help” utility workers by moving branches off the lines. Keep a safe distance:, at least 10 feet away, and call your utility: Ameren, 1-800-755-5000, or ComEd, 1-800-334-7661. We all should be at our best at times like this, so please check on your neighbors and family members to make sure they’re alright. (Just wear a mask and practice social distancing.) Where can I get information about outages? Here’s the outage map from Ameren Illinois and here’s ComEd’s map. For easy access to information about your own home, set up an online account with your utility. (You can do that here for Ameren and here for ComEd.) With the Ameren map, another option to get info about your home is to click on “Check Outage Status.” With the ComEd map, click […]

The post Tips in the aftermath of a storm appeared first on Citizens Utility Board.

What Illinois can learn from the Texas power disaster

Jim Chilsen — Sat, 20 Feb 2021 20:23:37 +0000

Texas’ power collapse in the wake of record-setting cold left millions of people suffering without electricity. And millions more are left with big questions about how such a tragedy could happen. A disaster like this should spark thoughtful discussion in Illinois and across the country of what we can do to strengthen our grid and prevent such tragedies in the future. Here’s a breakdown: What happened? Beginning Sunday, Feb. 14, a winter storm brought record-low temperatures to Texas that crippled sources of power generation (mostly natural gas and coal). The limited electricity supply coupled with record-high demand forced the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT)—the state’s power grid operator—early on the morning of Monday, Feb. 15, to implement rolling outages that left millions of people without power. Why did ERCOT order rolling outages? When a grid manager takes the extreme step of ordering controlled rolling blackouts (also called “load-shedding”), it’s to prevent an even bigger problem. The grid was reportedly minutes, even seconds, away from a total collapse—a blackout that could have lasted months. How many people were affected? We’ve seen estimates ranging from at least 2 million to 3.6 million or more. The initial plan was that the rolling blackouts would only last 15-45 minutes at a time, but then utility officials announced the outages would last hours, even days. By the end of the week, hundreds of thousands of people were still without power, about half of the state was under a boil order, and local TV stations had reported too many sad stories: In the Houston area, three young children and their grandmother died in a fire, likely sparked by a fireplace. In Abilene, a 67-year-old homeless man died of exposure, and a 60-year-old man froze to death in his own home. In Galveston County six deaths were suspected to have been caused by exposure or carbon monoxide poisoning. While Texas was hit the hardest, millions of people across the country suffered through power outages amid harsh winter temperatures and the ongoing pandemic. The White House declared emergencies in Texas, Oklahoma and Louisiana, and on Saturday, Feb. 20, Texas received a “major disaster” declaration. How can I help? See a list of organizations taking donations here. Is the Texas problem about wind turbines freezing? No. Some officials initially blamed the problem on Texas wind turbines freezing in the record-low temps. But ERCOT data show that most of the outages were caused by natural gas supply constraints because of frozen wells and pipelines. “Though no power resource performed perfectly, power sector experts dismissed the idea that renewables alone were to blame for the outages,” Utility Dive wrote. Note: The Illinois Clean Jobs Coalition, of which CUB is a member, produced a short video debunking this“frozen wind turbines are to blame” myth. If you want to do a deeper dive into the Texas disaster, check out these articles by The New York Times, The Texas Tribune and this detailed itemization of key issues surrounding the Texas power collapse from an interested observer in Australia. Also, we recommend you visit the Twitter feed of Jesse Jenkins, an energy systems engineer at Princeton University, for clear-headed analysis. What does natural gas have […]

The post What Illinois can learn from the Texas power disaster appeared first on Citizens Utility Board.

News you can use during a power outage

Jim Chilsen — Thu, 13 Aug 2020 12:41:42 +0000

Storms that ripped through Illinois this week–more than 10 confirmed tornadoes in northern Illinois, including one in Chicago–left more than 800,000 ComEd customers and about 55,000 Ameren customers without power. If you are one of the unlucky ones who may not have power until Saturday, here are some helpful resources: Where can I get information about outages? Here’s the outage map from Ameren Illinois and here’s ComEd’s map. For easy access to information about your own home, set up an online account with your utility. (You can do that here for Ameren and here for ComEd.) With the Ameren map, another option to get info about your home is to click on “Check Outage Status.” With the ComEd map, click “Search” at the left, and type in a zip code or address. When that area pops up you can click on an icon to get details on the outage (including an estimate on when power will be restored). Note: CUB’s dedicated team of consumer advocates, at 1-800-669-5556, will help check your outage status if you do not have internet access. If I’ve suffered an extended power outage, should I file a claim with the utility to get reimbursed for spoiled food and other losses? It’s worth a try, and here’s where you can get the claim forms for ComEd and Ameren. Illinois law says that customers could be entitled to compensation for losses or damages directly related to the outage in the event of a power interruption that impacts more than 30,000 customers for four hours or more. (Even local governments can get reimbursed for “emergency and contingency expenses” as a result of the outage.) These outages definitely qualify, BUT the utility is allowed to ask for an exemption from reimbursing customers for “unpreventable damage due to weather events or conditions.” (See page 3 of the ComEd claim form.) The system of thunderstorms, called a derecho (pronounced deh-RAY-cho), that brought 70-100 mile per hour winds as it cut a 700-mile path of destruction from Iowa to northern Indiana sure seems to qualify as a “weather event.” Still, if you’re really upset and you think you have a unique situation that merits a claim, it doesn’t hurt to file one. What safety precautions should I take during an outage? Thankfully, nobody was seriously injured by the tornadoes, but in the wake of the storms, one man was killed when he stepped on a downed power line. That’s just one of the many hazards during a power outage. Tips from: The state of Illinois. The federal government. The American Red Cross (Also, food safety tips) Tips from the federal government about medical devices during an outage. Federal Emergency Management Agency ComEd Ameren Some key tips after major storms or during power outages: Beware of strolling the neighborhood after a major storm. Stay away from fallen or low-hanging wires or anything they contact, and be especially cautious near metal fences. Stay alert for natural gas odors. If you smell natural gas, or if you hear a blowing or hissing noise, leave the area immediately and call your utility. Turn off or disconnect appliances, equipment, […]

The post News you can use during a power outage appeared first on Citizens Utility Board.

AARP, IL PIRG, CUB Launch Save Our Service (SOS) Campaign

Samantha — Wed, 19 Apr 2017 20:43:13 +0000

Today, AARP, the Illinois Public Interest Research Group (PIRG) and CUB joined forces to launch the Save Our Service (SOS) campaign to block AT&T-backed legislation that would hang up on Illinois’ most vulnerable phone customers. Consumer advocates urged Illinoisans to visit SaveOurPhoneService.com to send messages to the General Assembly against AT&T’s deregulation bills, Senate Bill 1381/House Bill 2691. Consumers also can call a special hotline, at 1-844-220-5552, to talk to their legislators. AT&T has 1.2 million business and residential landlines in Illinois, and some of the state’s most vulnerable citizens rely on them as the most affordable and reliable lifeline to vital services, such as 911 and medical monitoring. “Our fear is that, what AT&T really wants to do is push consumers onto phone options that tend to be more expensive and tend to be less reliable,” CUB Director of Communications Jim Chilsen said. (Read CUB’s new release on the legislation.) With Illinois’ Telecommunications Act under review and set to expire July 1, AT&T’s bills would: Abolish the state requirement that AT&T serve traditional landline customers. That authority would be ceded to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), and Illinois would be stripped of any meaningful oversight to protect AT&T’s 1.2 million business and residential landline customers from inferior service. Abolish low-cost calling plans. The General Assembly mandates that AT&T offer three “Consumer’s Choice” plans, which were created by CUB under a legal settlement. Illinois’ best local phone deals, which cost about $3 to $20 a month, have saved callers millions of dollars, and are under a state-mandated price freeze. AT&T, which made $13 billion in 2016, has led the charge in Illinois for phone deregulation. Nationally, the phone industry has pushed a business model that would allow it to stop providing landline service, leaving customers with substitutes that tend to be more expensive and less reliable, such as AT&T’s computer-based U-Verse or wireless alternatives. But forcing consumers to use computer-based or wireless substitutes as their primary home phones could subject them to higher bills and service degradation that still plague such options, including lack of service in extended power outages, checkered reception, dropped calls and high connection charges (up to $199 for computer-based phones). Don’t wait—Speak out against AT&T’s plan to kill home phone service TODAY!

The post AARP, IL PIRG, CUB Launch Save Our Service (SOS) Campaign appeared first on Citizens Utility Board.

Storm safety tips

Jim Chilsen — Mon, 13 Jul 2015 16:41:47 +0000

As the storms roll in, so does the risk of lightning, downed power lines, flooding and other electrical hazards. Follow these tips to protect yourself (and share with your neighbors too!): Downed power lines. The human body is a natural conductor of electricity, so downed power lines present a major risk for electrocution. If you see a downed power line, move at least 10 feet away and NEVER touch it. If you are near a power line, shuffle away with small steps, keeping your feet together. That will minimize the chance of getting shocked. Report emergencies to ComEd as soon as possible at 1-800-Edison-1. If you see someone who has come into contact with a downed power line, call 911. Do not attempt to help them yourself. It may be tempting to try to move a downed power line with another object, like a broom. But even non-conductive materials like wood, when slightly wet, can conduct electricity. Water is a good conductor of electricity, so be especially careful to avoid water near downed power lines. Refrain from removing tree debris as downed power lines may be entangled in them. If a power line falls across a car that you’re in, stay in the car. If you absolutely must get out of the car due to a fire or emergency, try to jump clear of the car and land on both feet. Be sure that no part of your body is touching the car when your feet touch the ground—you don’t want your body to be a conductor of electricity from the car to the ground. Flooding Be extremely careful when stepping into flooded areas or basements. Electrical cords and outlets can energize water, posing a serious electrocution risk. Do not use electrical appliances that have been wet until they have been examined by a qualified service repair dealer. Do not enter a flooded area until it has been determined safe to do so by a professional. Follow any directions from your utility to turn off power— but never attempt to turn off power at the breaker box if you must stand in water to do so. Ameren customers can call 1-800-755-5000 to have the power turned off when flood waters are likely to reach the main electrical panel box. If your home has flooded, keep the power off until an electrician has inspected your system for safety. Power outages During severe weather or power outages, turn off as many appliances and electronics as possible to reduce the risk of damage or fire. After power is restored, wait 5 to 10 minutes before turning them back on. Do not touch a circuit breaker or replace a fuse with wet hands or while standing on a wet surface. Report the outage immediately. Don’t assume neighbors will take care of the issue. Be proactive and alert the utility to the situation—besides, more voices can only help, not hurt, in getting the utility out faster. For ComEd, call 1-800-334-7661, and for Ameren, call 1-800-755-5000. Keep an eye on the refrigerator. If the outage is less than four hours long, the food in a refrigerator or freezer should be fine. However, if the […]

The post Storm safety tips appeared first on Citizens Utility Board.