What to Do During an Outage
Access Energy is dedicated to exceeding members' and customers' expectations for safe, reliable, efficient service and environmental responsibility.
No one likes it when the power goes off, but knowing what to do can make a big difference in how soon your power is restored.
At Access Energy Cooperative we do our best to keep the number and duration of service interruptions as low as possible. By keeping trees trimmed and performing routine line maintenance, our members have far less outages than they would otherwise.
However, on that rare occasion your service is interrupted, following the steps below will ensure your power is restored as quickly as possible.
First Check Your Breakers
- Check the main breaker box to see if the main breaker or fuse is blown.
- If it is tripped or blown, then either reset the breaker or replace the fuse.
- If it blows again you will need to contact an electrician to find and fix the problem.
- If the breaker is not tripped or the fuse is not blown, then check to see if your neighbors are out of power.
- If they have power, then check the breaker outside located under the meter (if your service is equipped with one). If it is tripped, reset the breaker by flipping it off and then back on. If your service does not have a breaker, call us and report the outage.
- If the breaker under the meter trips again, call us to report a problem with your service.
- We will check to see where the problem is.
- If the problem is on your side of the meter you may request our service crew to fix the problem or you may contact a qualified electrician to correct it for you.
- Depending on what we find and fix you may be billed for repairs to any of your equipment located after the meter.
- If you are in doubt, always feel free to call us at 319-385-1577 or 1-866-242-4232.
Reporting a Service Interruption
To report a service interruption, please call 319-385-1580 or toll free at 1-800-452-7819 and have as much of the following information available as possible:
- Your phone number
- The name the service is listed under
- The account number or location number where the service is out
WHAT SHOULD YOU DO IF THE LIGHTS GO OUT DURING A STORM?
- If you lose power during a storm, call us right away so we can determine the extent of the power failure. Please keep in mind that during a large spread outage, it may take a few calls to get through on the phone lines. Please be patient with us and keep calling.
- Stay away from fallen trees or power lines. Avoid driving down roads or streets with fallen trees and power lines.
- Disconnect TVs, computers, and all electronic equipment to prevent damage when power is restored.
- Above all, stay inside and try to be patient. We're working hard to have your power on again as soon as possible
We have someone available 24 hours day to receive calls to report service interruptions.
Please remember that in the case of a large service interruption our lines may be very busy. Please be patient and continue to call.