What do I need to do?

When you report an outage, Sierra Electric and our after hours dispatchers may ask you questions that will help us determine the cause of the outage.  These questions include:  

• Have you checked your breakers?  
• Have you checked your meter?

We ask these questions because sometimes a blown fuse or trip on your circuit breaker will cause you to lose power and the problem is in the household power.  If the outage is in the household power or on the consumer side of the meter, you could be charged a fee if you request we respond to the power outage.  However, do not put yourself or others in danger to check electrical equipment you do not understand.

If your meter stopped spinning or the LED display is blank, that often signals that the outage is on our end. 

Should I try to help?

• During an outage, never approach downed power lines.  Power lines can energize the ground up to 35 feet away.  Never drive over downed power lines or try to move them.

• Stay away from standing water near electrical appliances/wires.

• Unplug electrical equipment that may be damaged if a power surge occurs.

• Leave one light on so you know when the power is restored

• Be prepared!  Visit www.ready.gov/power-outage for more helpful tips.

What if I have Oxygen?

If you use an oxygen concentrator or other medical equipment that requires electricity, please fill out a Request for Priority Listing to be added to the priority listing.  This ensures that during a planned outage, we can contact you so you can be prepared for the outage.

Unfortunately, outages occur due to unplanned causes.  This listing may be used during an unplanned outage to check on our members with medical equipment and give them updates on expected outage times.  It would be a good idea if medical equipment is relied upon, to have an adequate generator at the home as a means of back-up power.