Saint John Energy | Outage Q & A

1. What should I do if the power goes out?
2. How do I report the outage to Saint John Energy?
3. Does Saint John Energy know my power is out?
4. What happens at Saint John Energy during an outage?
5. During a major outage, what determines who gets power restored first?
6. What can I do to prepare for an outage? (See Saint John Energy Tips on Preparing for and Reporting a Power Outage).
7. Why does my neighbor have power but I don’t?
8. How long will my power be off?
9. What causes an unplanned outage?

1. What should I do if the power goes out?

First, check to see if your neighbor has power. If none of your neighbors are experiencing an outage, and your service wires look ok; you may be experiencing a problem with a breaker or fuse in your home.

If the outage is affecting more than your home, call Saint John Energy at 658-5252 to report the problem. Our Customer Service Representative's may be busy if the outage is large, please be patient and if you know the cause of an outage, such as downed power lines or poles, please stay on the phone to report the information.

2. How do I report the outage to Saint John Energy?

To report an outage to Saint John Energy, call 658-5252, 24 hours a day, and press 1 for Power Outage, Safety Hazards or damage to power lines or poles.

3. Does Saint John Energy know my power is out?

Not necessarily. If the cause of the outage causes a feeder to trip off, then SJE will know immediately that there is an outage and the area’s affected, however the cause of the outage will not be known untill the area is patrolled or a customer reports the source of the outage.

4. What happens at Saint John Energy during an outage?

When a customer reports an outage to Saint John Energy, the information supplied by the caller is logged and passed onto our Distribution Control Centre. If the outage is contained to a small number of customers, then a crew is immediately sent to the area affected, however during a major outage, supervisory staff are sent to investigate the outage cause. After the assessment has been completed, then an estimated time of repair will be made and restoration of service will begin.

5. During a large scale outage, who determines who gets power first?

Saint John Energy prioritizes as follows:

• Safety first – is the situation life threatening, example broken power poles or downed lines
• Hospitals and Nursing Homes
• Areas that will restore power to the largest number of customers

6. What can I do to prepare for an outage?

• Keep a flashlight and battery operated radio handy.
• Leave a lamp on so will know when power is restored.
• Keep the refrigerator or freezer door closed; food will keep for some time if the door is kept closed.
• While the power is out, turn down your electric heat and turn off major appliances such as stoves washer and dryers, to avoid overloading the system when the power is restored.
• When your power comes back on, use what is need only for the first few hours to avoid overloading the system and further outages.

7. Why does my neighbor have power but I don’t?

Different sides of the same street can be fed from different parts of the distribution system. If Saint John Energy confirms your power should be on, the fuses or breakers in your home may have tripped or you could have a problem with your electrical entrance. This will have to be addressed by a qualified electrician.

8. How long will my power be off?

Saint John Energy estimates how long it will take to restore power as soon as they have determined the cause of the outage. These estimates can be obtained by calling Saint John Energy at 658-5252 or by checking our current system interruptions page for additional information.

9. What causes an unplanned outage?

• Weather - lightning, wind rain, snow and ice.
• Equipment malfunction.
• Human error- underground digging, overhead lines torn down, traffic accidents, vandalism.
• Animinal contact.
• Miscellaneous - fire etc.

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