Customer Service FAQ
Frequently asked questions about power outages
- What are some factors that cause power outages?
- How does BRMEMC restore power?
- What other steps does the cooperative take to be prepared for and respond to severe/extended outages?
- What should my family do when the power goes out?
- How do I report a power outage?
- How often should I report the outage?
- What should my family do during an extended outage?
- What is cold-load pick-up and why does it cause problems for the cooperative?
- How should I use a portable generator?
- Should I help BRMEMC by removing trees from power lines?
- Why does my neighbor have lights while my home is still without power?
- How long will the power be off?
- Standby Generators?
- High winds blowing trees and branches onto power lines
- Vehicles striking and breaking utility poles
- High winds breaking utility poles
- High winds blowing lines into trees
- Cold-load pick-up problems
- Animals such as birds, snakes and squirrels climbing poles and contacting both pole and
- the power line
- Snow and ice build-up that causes power lines to break or touch tree branches
- Overloaded lines
- Problems at substations
- Lightning
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BRMEMC power restoration procedures are very simple. We try to restore power to as many families as possible as quickly as possible. Below are the steps BRMEMC takes to restore power.
- Restore power to substations
- Repair main feeder lines
- Repair three-phase lines in built-up rural areas
- Repair rural three-phase lines
- After three-phase lines have been repaired, repair single-phase lines
- Individual services and transformers are the last to be repaired
- Weatherheads and meterbases torn from the dwelling by falling trees or ice are the responsibility of the homeowner
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Blue Ridge Mountain EMC is committed to doing everything within its power to restore power as quickly as possible. During a severe outage lasting several days the cooperative will
- Pre-position employees and materials in any area expected to be hit hard by severe weather
- Call in outside help from other rural electric cooperatives
- Hire additional contract line and tree-trimming crews
- Work long hours every day and night until power is restored
- Use local media to update customers as to our progress
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First make sure the problem is not within your home. Check your fuse box or circuit breaker to see if a fuse has blown or a breaker has tripped. If your fuses and breakers are okay, then you should call BRMEMC and report the outage.
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Call your BRMEMC office. The phone number can be found in your telephone book, on this web site, and on the top left of your monthly billing statement. Give the office personnel your name and address. If you have a bill stub, give them your account number. If you cannot get through, please be patient and remember that many other customers may be calling to report the outage. We value your phone calls because they allow us to track the size and severity of the outage.
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Once you report an outage, please give BRMEMC time to respond and repair the damage. The cause of the outage may be miles from your home, and thus you may not see BRMEMC vehicles in your area. If your power has not been restored within a few hours of your first call, please call again and report your outage. You should also call again if power is restored to your neighbors, but not to your home. If severe weather strikes, such as a tornado, ice storm or blizzard, it may be several days before power is restored to all BRMEMC customers. During such an extended outage it is helpful if customers call and report their outage each morning.
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- If power goes out, turn off electric heating /cooling system depending on season
- Turn off appliances and lights leaving one light on to signal the restoration of power
- Open refrigerators and freezers only as needed
- After power has been restored, turn on heating/cooling system and appliances one by one over a period of time to minimize strain on system and prevent cold-load pick-up problems
- Report all damage in your community. If you cannot get through to BRMEMC, it may be because others in your area are calling to report damage.
- Listen to local radio stations for updates
- If the weather is extremely cold, seek shelter if possible
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Cold-load pick-up problems occur during severe cold or hot weather when BRMEMC tries to restore power. When power is disrupted in the winter, many families leave their heating systems and appliances on. When power is restored, those heating systems cause a huge drain on the power lines and can cause line protection equipment to take the overloaded lines off line because the heavy load acts the same as a fault on the line. Cold-load pick-up problems also occur in the summer when families and businesses are running air-conditioning units and heat pumps. Cold-load pick-up problems are prevented when customers turn off their electric heating or air-conditioning systems, lights and appliances and then, after power has been restored, turn them back on over a period of time.
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Portable generators, especially generators designed for home use, are not powerful enough to run your whole home. Necessary appliances such as the refrigerator, freezer or a space heater should be plugged into the generator. You should never plug your generator in your home's outlets.
A generator connected to your home's wiring systems must have a double throw switch that disconnects the generator and your home from BRMEMC's power system. This switch must be installed by a licensed electrician and must be inspected by the state or county electrical inspector.
Farm and commercial generators must be installed with a switch that disconnects the home or building from BRMEMC's power system while the generator is being used.
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No, It is impossible to tell just by looking at them if power lines are energized. Live trees are excellent conductors of electricity, as are metal chain saw blades and bars. If BRMEMC reports that power is out in your area, be aware that neighbors incorrectly using electric generators could be sending electricity into the lines.
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Your neighbor's home may be on a different line. For example, a three-phase line may run right in front of your home, but you may receive power through a single-phase line running through your backyard. Also, the problem may be on the wire between the pole and your home or, your phase of a three-phase line may be out while the other two are still operating.
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Outages can be caused by a number of different situations. The duration of each outage will be directly dependent upon the factors involved, but rest assured BRMEMC is committed to getting every outage back on in a safe and timely manner.
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Standby Generators...if you use a standby generator during power outages, remember that improper generator hookup can create serious problems with safety, and the operation of the generator. It is important that your service have a double-throw switch to isolate the generator from the EMC's power lines. If it is not isolated, voltage from the generator could be back fed onto the EMC's lines where it would endanger the lives of our line technicians. The most common way this could occur is if you directly connect a generator to your electrical panel or to a circuit in your home.
Generator Drawing 1
Generator Drawing 2
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