Outage Reporting Tips

• Make sure Great Lakes Energy has your correct telephone number on file. The phone number we have on file should match the phone number that you have at the service address where you have power from Great Lakes Energy. If you have multiple accounts all listed under one phone number, you will also need to report the account number of the specific location where the power outage is. To assure that we have the correct phone number and service address for your account, please call member service at 1-888-485-2537, ext. 8924.
• If a computer answers your outage call, punch in the number where the outage is occurring. If you call from a cell or pay phone, the computer won’t recognize this as your number.
• If you call from a rotary phone, you’ll be transferred to our dispatchers directly.
• When you get our phone recording, keep in mind it’s impossible to cover every specific area affected in a widespread outage. We will list outages by township or by county, depending on the size of the outage.
• Check your breaker panels before you call. Check both the main breaker on the inside panel and outside disconnect (older homes probably won’t have an outside disconnect). The outdoor disconnect will be located close to your electric meter.
  If the breaker is tripped, it usually will be stopped halfway between “off” and “on.” You’ll have to turn the breaker off first and then back on to reset it. If you still have power in part of your home, check the individual breakers in the panel. If you’re not sure how to reset a breaker, ask someone who knows to show you.

• If your power blinks a couple of times but comes back on, you don’t have to call. On the other hand, if you notice blinks over the course of several days, call so we can check our lines for problems.
• Have a contingency plan in place for life-support patients. If there is catastrophic damage to our system or if main circuits are damaged, it may take time to get power restored. Those main circuits must be functioning before any other repairs, including those to life-support patients, can be effective. In large outage situations power is generally restored to the areas where we can restore the largest number of consumers first. Members who are listed as medical priority may not be restored first, but rather this distinction is used in the event of a short notice planned outage, where we attempt to call all medical priority members before the outage occurs.