What Causes Outages?

Access Energy is dedicated to exceeding members’ and customers’ expectations for safe, reliable, efficient service and environmental responsibility.

Power outages can be caused by many things including, but not limited to, the following:

Storms

Wind, heat, ice, and snow are the most common causes of widespread power outages.

 

Lightning

When lightning strikes transmission towers, wires, and poles, outages occur.

 

Animals

Squirrels, birds, and other small animals are a common cause for power lines to short circuit.

Trees

During high winds, or trimming by an untrained professional, limbs can come into contact with power lines, causing power interruptions.

Excavation Digging

Underground cables are commonly disturbed by digging. Practice safety when you dig and always call Iowa One Call first at 811. Click here for more information on Iowa One Call.

High Power Demand

During heat waves and other times of unusually high power demand, overburdened electric cables, transformers, and other electrical equipment can melt and fail.

Vehicles

Occasionally, vehicle accidents with a utility pole cause power outages.

If you experience a power outage or notice a problem with our power lines, call us at 1.866.242.4232,
24 hours a day, seven days a week