Please Follow These Steps Before Calling If You Experience a Power Outage:

  • Check for a blown fuse or tripped circuit breaker. Reset your home's main breaker by switching the breaker off and then completely back on.
  • If resetting the breaker did not restore power, ask your neighbors if they are without power too.
  • Turn off all electrical appliances that were on when service was disrupted. To help preserve food, leave the doors to your refrigerator and freezer closed.
  • Have the following information ready to report to the dispatcher:
    1. First and last name as shown on the account.
    2. Working phone number where we may contact you if necessary.
    3. 911 Address
    4. Please describe your problem and when it occurred.
    5. Please report the status of your breaker check, whether your neighbors are affected, and if you noticed any unusual noises, sightings, or other occurrences.

To report a power outage, please call one of the following phone numbers:

Bartlett Office (254) 527-3551 or *(512) 746-2771

* This is a local call from all of our service areas except Milano.

After Hours: (888) 881-7396

  • Print this page, write down the information which will be needed by the dispatcher, and post this page near a phone with the knowledge of other family members.
  • Continue to use at least one corded phone or have a cell phone available in a convenient location known by other family members. Cordless phones will not work during a power outage.
  • Keep a flashlight near this location. A plug in rechargeable is best.
  • A battery powered radio may help keep you informed during extended outages. A radio with weather band and alerts could help keep you safe.
  • Please report any telephone number or address change to the cooperative as soon as possible so that our contact information is up to date.
  • Critical accounts and life support loads will receive additional consideration when possible. If you have life support equipment we strongly encourage that you acquire a backup power supply or have a back up plan in place.

Keeping your power on is high priority for us. Our goal is to help prevent outages from occurring, and if they do, to restore power as soon as possible. We design and maintain our power lines to help minimize outages and aid quick restoration if an outage occurs. Unfortunately, we can’t prevent all outages from occurring or prevent serious damage to the power lines from bad weather, vehicle accidents, or other extreme events.

We have several systems in place to help take your outage information and restore your power as quickly as possible. Each of these systems allows multiple calls to be handled reducing your chance of receiving a busy signal.

We understand that person to person contact is preferred and we have designed these systems so that our members may speak with a designated employee or dispatcher when possible. If you call and receive an automated attendant it is likely that large widespread outages have occurred and our dispatch systems are handling your call as efficiently as possible.

 

When you call to report an outage during business hours, a Customer Service Representative will normally take your outage information and enter it in our automated dispatch system. This system will print a service order and it will be issued to the most available Service Lineman.

If we are experiencing outages affecting a large number of members we may switch the automated dispatch system to Storm Mode. This system will receive member information from multiple phone lines and deliver your outage information much faster to the dispatch office and Service Linemen.

If the dispatch system is in Storm Mode you will hear a pre-recorded message requesting your telephone number. This is the first step to identify your location. The dispatch system will continue to request information as needed and will allow you to record additional information that may be helpful.

In addition to our in house automated dispatch system, we use the Security and Response Services (SRS) provided by Basin Electric for outage calls after business hours. This system is off site from our headquarters. With this service located off site, it can provide backup communications during business hours if our phone lines quit working or other damage occurs.

Occasionally we have to take a planned outage to make corrections or improvements. During system improvements we try to give advance notice with time and date of a planned outage by mail or door knob notes. If we must turn off power because of a danger/safety issue we may not be able to provide advance notice. When possible we will pre-record a message explaining the occurrence and the area affected on the automated dispatch system.

5:00 PM to 8:00 AM Mon-Fri (all day weekends and holidays) outage calls are forwarded to our Security and Response Services (SRS) provided by Basin Electric. This system allows multiple outage calls to be handled at the same time to reduce the chance of receiving a busy signal.

If you call after the office is closed you will normally hear a pre-recorded message that will explain our business hours and give you the option of continuing the call to report an outage. If the phone number you’re calling from isn’t recognized, you will be asked to enter your 10 digit phone number.

The call will transfer to a dispatcher unless there is a very large call load. If there is a very large call load, your call may be handled by an automated service attendant. At the completion of your call, your information will be forwarded to the “On Call” Linemen.