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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 […]

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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 […]

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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 […]

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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, […]

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