During an Outage

If your power is out, please check your circuit breakers and fuses first.  If no circuit has tripped or fuse has blown, call (800) 844-4832 and use Kenergy’s automated phone system to report your outage.

Make sure your phone numbers, including cell phones, are current at the cooperative.  If they are, Kenergy’s phone system will recognize you when you call.  The phone system will automatically bring up your account when you call — if your telephone numbers are current.

Although many people do not like automated phone messages, it remains the quickest way to report your outage. As soon as you call, your outage is logged into Kenergy’s Outage Management System. It takes less than a minute to report an outage through the automated phone system.  Prompts will guide you.

In the Kentucky Public Service Commission’s report on the January 2009 ice storm, the commission cautioned the public to call electric utilities once to report outages. Please do not continue to call after you make your initial report. During large outages, people who repeatedly call tie up phone lines for others who are trying to report problems.

The First 72 Is on You!

Few people realize how essential electricity is until they experience a power outage.

Although most power outages last only a few hours, individuals and organizations should be prepared to be without essential services for 72 hours or longer.

Be prepared

Keep emergency supplies on hand, including:

  • Flashlight with fresh batteries
  • A portable, battery-operated radio (listen to WBKR 92.5 FM for Kenergy updates) or television
  • A NOAA Weather radio for warnings
  • A wind-up or battery-powered alarm clock (cell phones have alarm clocks)
  • Water and nonperishable food — canned fruit, powdered milk, peanut butter, bread & crackers
  • If you have a baby — extra diapers and other infant care items.
  • First aid kit
  • Essential medicines and prescription information
  • Extra pair of glasses, hearing aid batteries, extra wheelchair batteries, oxygen, medication, catheters, food for guide or service dogs, or other special equipment you might need
  • Keep some extra cash on hand.
  • Don’t let your vehicle’s gas tank run until it’s near empty. Keep at least a quarter tank of gas at all times.
  • Have either a cell phone or hardwire, single-line telephone. Cordless phones will not work without electricity.
  • If you have an electric garage door opener, find out where the manual release lever is located, and learn how to operate it. Sometimes garage doors can be heavy, so get help to lift it. If you regularly use the garage as the primary means of entering your home upon return from work, be sure to keep a key to your house with you, in case the garage door will not open.

Outage tips

  • Protect sensitive electric equipment, such as computers, VCRs and televisions, by installing a surge suppresser or other power-protection devices.
  • Or protect appliances from possible power surges when electricity is restored. Unplug appliances and computers, if possible, and turn off nonessential lights. Turn off any heat-producing electric equipment such as toaster ovens, electric stove tops, or hair curlers. Leave one light fixture on so you know when power is restored.
  • Use your smart phone for outage updates from Kenergy. The co-op has an outage map that provides many details.  Also, the co-op posts messages on Twitter about every 15 minutes during large-scale outages. You can access the outage map and tweets with a smart phone, which is powered by a battery.
  • Make sure your smoke alarms have fresh batteries. Even those alarms that are wired to your home’s electrical system should have a fresh back-up battery.
  • Have an emergency plan in place, including back-up power supply, if a member of your household depends on life support or needs other medical equipment.
  • Perishable foods should not be held above 40 degrees for more than 2 hours. If a power outage is 2 hours or less, you need not be concerned.
  • Do not open the refrigerator or freezer. An unopened refrigerator will keep foods cold enough for a few hours. A freezer that is half full will hold for up to 24 hours and a full freezer for 48 hours.
  • If it looks like the power outage will be for more than 2-4 hours, pack refrigerated milk, dairy products, meats, fish, poultry, eggs, gravy, stuffing and leftovers into your cooler surrounded by ice.
  • If it looks like the power outage will be prolonged, prepare a cooler with ice for your freezer items. Use dry or block ice to keep food in freezers or insulated containers longer. (Never handle dry ice with your bare hands or place it directly on top of food. The extreme cold can cause burns.)
  • Discontinue nonessential water use.
  • Do not drink cloudy or dirty water.
  • Don’t be alarmed if the chlorine level is higher than normal.
  • Notify water officials of low or no water pressure.
  • Never cook with charcoal indoors.
  • During hot days, stay cool indoors and drink plenty of fluids.
  • In colder weather, keep outside door openings to a minimum and use blankets, sleeping bags and extra clothes to help stay warm. Dress in layers and wear a hat. Cover drafty windows and doors with blankets. Close off doors and stay in the room with your heat source.
  • If the room has openings without doors, use blankets to cover them.
  • Be extremely careful when using alternate heating sources. Some are not approved for indoor use and could be a fire or carbon monoxide hazard. Make sure your fire extinguisher is charged and working.
  • How you react to a power outage gives children clues on how to act. If you react with alarm, a child may become more scared.
  • When talking with children about an outage, be sure to present a realistic picture about what has happened and the expected outcome. Your calming words and actions can provide reassurance. Concentrate on your child’s emotional needs by asking the child to describe what they are feeling. Listen to what they say. Although children need you in case of emergency, they need you for play too. Encourage them to participate in games, arts, crafts and reading. Keep flashlights, notebooks, magazines, colored paper and markers, and tape readily available.
  • Assume all downed lines are energized!  If you can see any power lines on the ground, stay at least 10 feet away from them as electricity might still be flowing through the lines. Call 911 to report downed lines.
  • Do not call 911 to ask about the power outage! Listen to WBKR 92.5 FM for updates.
  • Use extreme caution when driving. Intersections should be treated as four-way stops when traffic lights are out. Anticipate long traffic delays in areas where the power is out.
  • Check on elderly or medically dependent neighbors.
  • If someone in your household uses life support equipment, make arrangements for a back-up power supply. Know how to start or connect a back-up power supply for essential medical equipment or move your special-needs relative to a location where power is available. Create a network of relatives, friends or co-workers. Discuss your disability and ask for assistance in an emergency. Arrange for someone to check on you in an emergency.

Generators

A portable generator can be a valuable tool during power outages — but it can also be extremely dangerous if not installed or used correctly. If you own a generator, never plug it into any electrical outlet in your home. Generators that are not isolated can feed back into our electrical system and possibly electrocute anyone coming in contact with those wires. If you don’t have a double-throw transfer switch installed, plug appliances directly into the generator using a properly sized extension cord. For more information about operating generators safely, please read through the Safety Tips link on Outage Central.

After an outage

If you are not home and would like to check to see if power is restored, call your home to see if the answering machine if operating.

If a storm has damaged trees on your property which need to be cleared, don’t try to remove those tangled in power lines. Stay away from any downed lines (no matter what type) and notify us about them immediately.

If you think electric power has been restored to your area but your home is still without power, please call our 24-hour dispatch center at (800) 844-4832