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What Happens When
the Power Goes Out
Hydro One’s Power Outage Response Procedures
✆
Hydro One’s province-wide,
24/ 7 emergency number:
1-800- 434-1235
To learn more about
Hydro One’s services, visit us at
www.HydroOne.com
Hydro One Is Ready
Ontario has a robust and reliable electricity system, but it is occasionally
at the mercy of the Canadian climate. In the winter, heavy snow or ice
storms can cause power lines to break, while in the summer and fall,
fierce winds, rain and lightning can cause extensive tree damage that
leads to power outages.
When the electricity goes out, we have a six-step recovery plan in place
to restore power to our customers as quickly and safely as possible.
Hydro One’s o-step power recovery plan } jgkglgmgngo
j Notify
Often, we first learn about a power outage when someone
calls our Customer Communications Centre, which is open
24 hours a day, all year round. Customers can use our
automatic phone system to bypass the wait for an agent
and automatically notify us of an outage. An electronic “outage
report” is created for the call, and automatically sent to the
Ontario Grid Control Centre, which operates Hydro One’s power
system. From there, the appropriate local Operation Centre is
notified, and a crew is sent out to assess the situation.
Restoration
k Emergency
We receive many calls during an outage and they are
addressed in priority. Our first priority is to respond to 911
emergencies like fires or live lines that are down. We then
focus on restoring electricity to essential services such as
hospitals, fire and police stations, and water and sewage
treatment facilities.
Mobilize
m We
assess the nature and extent of the storm-related
damages so that we can quickly mobilize and deploy human
and equipment resources from across the province, if needed,
to the storm damaged area.
n Communicate
During a power outage, Hydro One repair crews keep the
Ontario Grid Control Centre up to date on their progress.
Our communications department provides Estimated Time of
Restoration (ETR) bulletins to the media and local officials.
ETR updates can be checked on our website or by phone.
the Job
o Finish
Our crews, management and dispatchers stay on the job
until we have restored power to everyone. Then we revisit
any temporary repairs and help communities clean up after
the storm.
l Prioritize
Guided by the rule “do the greatest good for the greatest
number,” we repair large system elements that serve a large
number of customers, and then move on to repair individual
lines serving individual customers.
Partners in Powerful Communities
5441_e_HydroOneStormResponse 02/08/11 2:25 PM Page 2
• Call Hydro One’s province-wide power outage and emergency number
What to do in a
power outage
}
at 1-800-434-1235 (24 hours a day, 365 days a year). If your call
represents a life-threatening emergency, call 911.
• Remember to always stay clear of downed lines or equipment. Never
assume that they are safe to go near.
We can help
you faster if
}
• You can provide your account number (found on your electricity bill).
• You know the phone number of the home or business you’re
calling about.
• You use our automated system.
• You are able to tell us the possible cause of the outage, such as a tree
hitting the line in front of your house or if you see a wire down.
How local power outage restoration works
• Customers report an outage by calling our
call centre. Our interactive voice response
system (IVR) collects customer data
about outages and this information is
automatically transmitted to our Ontario
Grid Control Centre (OGCC). The OGCC
uses this information to determine how
to prioritize power restoration work and
dispatch crews so that the maximum
number of people can have power
restored as soon as possible.
• When we don’t know the immediate
• Once crews identify a problem with the
line, it is isolated from the rest of the
grid. The crew grounds the damaged
section and works to repair the problem.
They also keep the OGCC updated with
regular progress reports.
CUSTOMER
CALL DATA
COLLECTED
POWER
OUTAGE AREA
IDENTIFIED
• If it appears that a repair will take some
time, our crews transfer the line’s
electrical load and re-route power to get
your lights back on as soon as possible.
CHECK
POWER LINES
ISOLATE
FROM GRID
RE-ROUTE
AND REPAIR
cause of a power outage, our crews
check to see what could have triggered
the problem. They look for downed lines
and other signs of visible damage.
• Crews begin a systematic, physical
inspection of power lines, looking for
problems like damage caused by fallen
trees or accumulated snow and ice.
8
Track power outages in your area at
www.HydroOne.com