Ohio Consumer Power Outages

The Office of the Ohio Consumers' Counsel (OCC) has offered Ohio residents the following information about what to do during a power outage. The OCC, is Ohio's residential utility consumer advocate. The state agency educates consumers about electric, natural gas, telephone and water issues and resolves complaints from individuals. To receive utility information, brochures, request an educational presentation for your club or group, or file a utility complaint, call 1-877-742-5622 toll free in Ohio.

All outages should be immediately reported to the electric company. If it is a widespread outage it will take time to talk directly to a utility representative but you can usually get through to the electric company's automated telephone system. If you can not reach your electric utility, call the OCC's Consumer Response Center.

During the outage, unplug your computer and television or any other device that you would normally unplug during a thunder storm. The power surge during restoration can cause the same damage. Turn off lights, air conditioning, and anything else that will come on automatically. This will help the utility company restore the power. If everyone leaves their lights and appliances on, the initial power surge when power is restored will likely just cause another outage. Ohio utility customers are not entitled to credit on their bills for the time that their service is out so you might as well help the utility company get your power back as soon as possible and save unecessary costs.

If you are considering purchasing a generator because of long and frequent outages, shop around. Find one that suits your needs. Consider the time the generator will run before refueling and how many appliances will the generator run in your home. Unless you are willing to spend a lot of money, you need to consider looking at running only your refrigerator, a few lights, and a sump pump if needed. If you have special requirements or simply want to be more comfortable during the outage make sure the generator can handle the load. With a 4,000 to 5,000 watt generator, you can typically run a refrigerator, sump pump, furnace fan and several lights.

No matter which type of generator is purchased, buy it before you need it and learn how to run it safely. Read the manual. Practice starting it in the dark with only a flashlight. During an actual outage, never exceed the rated capacity. Why create your own personal power outage by burning out that new generator. Don't have all the things you want to power turned on when you start the generator. Turn everything off before you start the generator and slowing add your power demand. Do not run the generator inside your home. Carbon monoxide is an odorless, colorless gas and it is fatal.