Your Energy Matters

As extremely cold temperatures grip the area, LG&E and KU representatives reiterated to the public yesterday the company is prepared to meet increased energy demands and will quickly and safely respond to any operational issues.

Company officials joined Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer, city agencies and emergency responders at a press conference on Sunday to ensure public safety and readiness.

• Our electric and natural gas crews are available 24/7 to respond to any system issues.
• Across the company, our front-line and back-office employees are ready to meet customers' service needs.
• Because of extreme temperatures, we have temporarily suspended disconnections for non-payment.
• We also offer these important safety tips and information.

Even though the temperature insists otherwise, today is the first day of spring, and a perfect time to prepare for severe weather events that come with the change in season.

We take steps year-round to prepare for inclement weather, and offer you the following tips and suggestions to plan ahead, stay informed and be safe during storm events:

1. Plan ahead: Visit www.ready.gov to make a plan and learn how to build an emergency supply kit, which should include items such as prescription medicines, weather radio, important phone numbers, a first aid kit, flashlights and extra batteries, to name a few.

Before severe weather strikes, we prepare by monitoring weather conditions, placing field crews and contact centers on alert and readying operating equipment and material.

Throughout the year, we make infrastructure investments and perform regular system maintenance such as tree trimming and hazardous tree removals to enhance system reliability.

2. Stay informed: During outage situations, system and restoration updates are provided through our automated phone system, online outage map and outage map app. At the beginning of a widespread restoration event, our crews must first assess damage to the electric system before repairs can be prioritized.

Keeping customers informed of the companies’ progress is an essential part of our emergency response plan, and in times of widespread power outages, general restoration information and safety tips are provided on our Facebook page, Twitter feed and on this blog.

3. Be safe: Always assume any downed wire is an energized power line. Stay away and report it immediately. LG&E customers should call 502-589-3500; KU customers should call 1-800-981-0600. Visit www.lge-ku.com/storm for important safety information concerning portable generators, food storage and electric service.

A step-by-step guide to power restoration

In responding to major power outages across our service territory, a priority is given to critical-care organizations, such as hospitals, fire and police stations and nursing homes. At the same time, our crews focus on restoring service to schools, airports and other utility infrastructure, like water and sewer pumping stations.

We must repair any critical infrastructure that might be damaged, like the transmission lines and substations that carry electricity into neighborhoods and commercial areas, before power can be restored to those locations.

The goal is to fix a problem that will restore power to large groups of customers simultaneously, so hundreds or even thousands of customers come back online with one repair job.

Our crews then move on to where they can get neighborhoods restored and continue until they address problems that affect power to individual streets and homes.

Customers who experience a power outage should report it to the company by either using our online outage reporting system or by calling LG&E at 502-589-3500 or KU at 1-800-981-0600.

While every storm is unique and presents distinct challenges to utility crews, we remain committed to restoring power safely and as quickly as possible and keeping customers informed every step of the way.

Be safe!  

As evening temperatures remain in the low 20s across the Kentucky, we're encouraging customers to follow a few simple steps to plan and prepare for inclement weather:

-- Build an emergency kit that includes a battery-powered radio, flashlights for everyone in the family, fresh batteries for any devices, first-aid kit, and over-the-counter and prescription medications. A complete list of essential emergency kit supplies can be found at www.ready.gov.

-- Always operate a portable generator safely and outdoors to allow for proper venting. Consult with a qualified, licensed electrician and/or review the manufacturer's instructions before you install the generator.

-- Snow and ice accumulation on tree branches can sometimes cause them to break and fall into power lines. Stay away and consider all fallen wires as dangerous.

-- LG&E customers should call 502-589-1444 to report a downed wire or power outage; KU customers should call 1-800-981-0600. LG&E and KU customers can also report an outage online at my.lge-ku.com after registering their account.

-- Download LG&E and KU's outage map app for your smartphone or iPad to receive near real-time information about outages throughout our system, a summary of outages by zip code and county, and estimated restoration time.

When severe winter weather moves across Kentucky, we're prepared to reliably meet customers’ energy demands, and safely and quickly respond to severe winter weather impacts.

You can visit www.lge-ku.com/storm for more information about storm safety, a step-by-step guide to power restoration and to download the LG&E and KU outage map app.

With winter in full effect, now is the time to prepare for inclement weather. While we work hard year-round to keep the lights on, sometimes Mother Nature curves a snow ball in our direction that can knock out power for a period of time.

When the lights go out, our crews restore power safely and as quickly as possible.

The app shows the location and number of outages in our service territory, a summary of outages by county and zip code, outage cause and estimated restoration time (if known).



You can also zoom in to see your outage and the area affected by it. In addition, when our crews input facts about an outage from the field, our outage map is also updated, so you have the latest information.

How to download:

Our free outage map app is available for download on iPhone/iPad, Android and Blackberry devices. You can also search for "LG&E and KU Outage Maps" within the App stores of each device.

Until next time, stay safe, and keep using energy wisely.