When the power goes out, staying informed is crucial. Here’s how you can keep connected and up-to-date during an unplanned power outage.
1. Make sure your contact details are up-to-date
To get updates from us when the power goes out, make sure your electricity retailer (the company that you pay your power bills to) has your current mobile number and email address. They’ll pass your details to us so we can send you all the information you need to manage an unplanned outage. If you have recently changed your mobile phone number or email address, please contact your electricity retailer to update them. You can find your retailer’s contact details on your most recent electricity bill. Encourage any family, friends or neighbours who live in our electricity distribution network to do the same.
2. Keep your smart phone charged
Outages caused by damage from severe weather can last hours and sometimes even days, especially if we have to repair parts of the network. It’s important to plan ahead how you’ll keep your smart phone charged during an outage.
Here are some ideas:
- Use your car charger, if you have one (never leave your car running idle in an enclosed space, like a garage or carport).
- Always keep one or more power packs fully charged and ready to use.
- Visit a community hub, or family and friends to charge your phone and/or power packs.
You can buy mobile phone car chargers, power packs and small generators at any electrical goods store. Here are some ideas to get you started.
3. Connect to the internet
You need the internet to see updates on our Outage Tracker and Facebook page. If you can't access the internet, there’s a chance your Internet Service Provider's (ISP) local tower may be down too.
Here are some ideas if you find yourself in this situation:
- Try and access the internet from a different phone tower by driving to a different suburb. Make sure you find a safe place to park before using your mobile phone.
- Visit a family member or friend in a different area and use their Wi-Fi if you can.
- Access a free public Wi-Fi network, like at a café or shopping centre in a different neighbourhood.
4. Tell us how you want to receive outage information
We SMS and email our customers during a power outage. You can choose the best way for us to contact you about unplanned outages by telling us your communication preferences.
5. Stay close to your community, friends and family
Here are some ways your community can help pass on important information about a power outage.
- Keep in contact with your neighbours who are also affected by the power outage. If they are getting our SMS updates and checking the Outage Tracker, they can pass on useful information to you.
- Ask your close family members or friends to keep you updated. They can check our Outage Tracker and Facebook page for you.
- Contact your local council to see if there’s a community hub set up nearby for updates, resources and support.
- During a major storm event, tune in to your local ABC radio station for emergency updates.
By following these five tips, you’ll have useful tools to get you the information you need during an unplanned power outage.