Presque Isle Electric & Gas Cooperative

2. If you have a neighbor, check with them to see if their power is off. This will help you and PIEG know if the outage is a utility power line outage.

3. If you determine the power outage is a utility outage, then call PIEG at 1-800-423-6634 to report your outage. PIEG has 24 hour dispatching to report your outage. Please have the following information available when you call to report your outage: account number, account name, home phone number, street address and any information pertaining to the outage.

If you call during a major storm or when there are widespread outages, please stay on the line as your call is answered in the order received. Obviously, there are going to be excessive amounts of callers trying to call at the same time.

PIEG and all other utilities have to restore power in the same manner in a widespread outage situation. Line crews have to start the troubleshooting, perform line switching where possible, and make repairs at the "power source" or the beginning of the main circuit and then follow the circuit down line. This is the most efficient and only way to get the power back on to the most people possible in the shortest period of time. If you are at the end of the circuit and had problems with the service line to your home, it would not make sense to repair it first when there is a main line down on the ground a few spans from the source of your power. Everyone's power on the circuit is not going to come back on until the main line is repaired.

PIEG has in place innovative computerized mapping, outage information systems to track, monitor and manage outages and modern equipment for line crews to speed up the outage restoration process. Be assured that our employees are working many hours in harsh weather and environments to get your power restored.

Momentary Outages

Blinks - The aggravating occurrences of the blink have many causes. The definition of a blink to a utility engineer is "a brief or momentary interruption of power." The utility engineer actually designs the protective system to purposely "blink" the system when there is a problem or fault on the system. When this happens, it means the system is working properly and the line device automatically cleared the fault to keep your power from going off for a long duration.

Common causes of blinks on utility lines are faults caused from lightning, trees, animals, and faulty equipment. Some are easy to detect and repair while some are more difficult to detect. If you are experiencing more than 5 blinks per month, you should call PIEG to report the problem. It is up to the utility engineer to balance or coordinate the protective system to provide the best protection and minimize permanent outages.

Some people call a blink a "voltage surge", "voltage dip", "voltage spike", or "voltage flicker" which may be true. Many of these blinks are not caused by the utility, but come from within the home or business. A voltage dip or spike can come from large motors starting, inadequate wiring, faulty equipment, improper grounding and loose connections. A licensed electrician can usually find and identify these problems within the home or business.