Outage FAQs

When an object comes into contact with a power line, such as debris or a tree limb, the electric system quickly shuts itself off in order for the problem to resolve itself. Often, the issue is automatically corrected, power is restored, and this can all happen in just a matter of seconds. This process most often prevents much longer outage times.

During severe weather, trees may be uprooted and fall into the power lines snapping poles and bringing down miles of wires. The repair process can be difficult as our crews inspect the lines and equipment to locate the exact damage. The following are common causes for outages:

• Lightning can hit our electrical equipment, causing you to lose power. It can also strike trees, which may fall onto power lines and cause outage
• Ice storms create a buildup of ice on power lines and on trees. The weight of the ice can cause power lines to snap or tree limbs to fall onto lines
• High winds may cause power lines to touch and short out, resulting in an outage. Wind may also blow tree limbs or entire trees onto power lines
• Heavy rains can cause flooding in certain areas which can damage both above-ground and underground electrical equipment
• Vehicle accidents can result in broken poles, causing power lines to break or touch
• Accidental contact with underground or overhead power lines at construction sites can also cause power outage
• Small animals such as birds, squirrels and snakes climb on certain pieces of equipment, such as transformers and fuses, causing the equipment to shut down

LCUB crews work quickly to restore power outages as they occur. When severe weather strikes and widespread outages are reported, our crews must follow a process for restoring power. CLICK HERE for details on LCUB’s Power Outage Restoration Process.

If you or a family member rely on an electrical life-sustaining medical device in your home, call us to make sure we are aware of it. In some cases, severe storms can damage our electrical system so badly that it takes days to fix. If you depend on electricity, it’s important to have an emergency back-up plan in place. For more information on critical referral, call 1-844-Our-LCUB (1-844-687-5282)

The most common cause of a loud noise associated with your power going out is a blown fuse. Our power lines use fuses in a similar manner to the way you use fuses in your home.

No, please. Our line crews are happy and willing to help when practical, but stopping crews after large outages to ask questions or make special requests only slows down the restoration process for you and the rest of the LCUB service territory.

Your neighbor may be on a different supply line or there may be damage to just a section of a line supplying your immediate area. The cause of the outage may be isolated to one fuse, one transformer or a group of transformers. Also, the problem may be on the service line connected to your home. If your entire neighborhood has power but you don’t, check your meter box and your panel box (breakers and fuses). Or call 1-844-Our-LCUB (1-844-687-5282) and report that you are still out of power.

Crews may need to pick up more supplies, or work on repairs in other areas before power can be restored to your home. The area the crew is working in may have become unsafe.  Sometimes, another emergency situation has occurred and immediate attention is needed.

LCUB installs lines underground at a customer’s request. It is up to 10 times more expensive, so customers who want underground lines pay extra for installation. Underground is reliable, but it can’t stop every outage. All underground lines must come out of the ground somewhere. In other words, all underground lines are fed from an overhead line at some point. Remember too that an outage on an underground line takes longer to locate (we can’t see it) and repair (crews must dig up streets and yards).

If the electrical equipment that serves your home or business is damaged, certain repairs must be completed before LCUB can safely restore power. LCUB is responsible for delivering power to your meter and service entrance. Customers are responsible for repairs to the meter base and masthead. If the meter base or masthead is pulled away from your property, you must hire a qualified electrician to make the necessary repairs. The work will need to be inspected either via City Codes or State Codes, whichever is applicable for the area, and a release issued to LCUB before power can be turned back on.