Planned outage FAQs

We will notify the primary account holder (the name on the energy account) and any registered mobile numbers at least four business days before a planned power outage via SMS.

Planned outage notifications will be sent via SMS to customers who have registered their phone numbers with their electricity retailer. Registered life support customers, customers with commercial premises, or customers who do not have a valid number registered with their electricity retailer will continue to receive postal planned outage notifications.

We understand that many people are working or studying from home. Every effort is being made to ensure that power interruptions cause minimum disruption to customers.

While Ausgrid does its best to limit disruption to the window advised, unforeseen circumstances can arise where we may overrun the end time.

We suggest you take some simple precautions before and during a power outage:

• Ensure mobile devices are fully charged and that any emergency equipment, alarms and security devices operate without mains power.
• If you're at home, leave a light on to tell you when the power is back on.
• Unplug or switch off appliances at the wall, including any alarms.
• Notify your security company of the interruption to make sure alarms operate correctly without power.
• Check your car is accessible if you have electric garage doors.
• Switch off water pumps and three-phase motors associated with air conditioning plants and lifts.
• You do not need to switch off or adjust any solar installation before or during the interruption.
• If you are without power, avoid opening the fridge or freezer door – make a note of the time you lost power so you can gauge if the food in your fridge is safe to consume.

We are aware of the inconvenience a power outage can cause and that many customers are working from home.

Planned outages are necessary to replace aging equipment, conduct maintenance, or extend the network to connect new premises. This ensures we can keep providing a safe and reliable power supply to our customers. We mitigate the inconvenience as best as we can by providing notification a minimum of 4 business days in advance and by keeping the interruptions as short as possible.

If the power is out for more than 4 hours, NSW Food Authority advises that food in fridges can spoil. To minimise this, keep the refrigerator door closed as much possible. Freezers will usually not defrost for 24 hours, provided the door has been kept shut.

In accordance with the Deemed Standard Connection Contract [Section 10], we may interrupt the power supply to customers’ premises (where permitted under the energy laws) to connect new customers, maintain or repair the network

We provide 4 - 7 days' written notice to allow customers to make alternative arrangements if required. For this reason, we do not consider compensation for planned interruptions.

You can find out more about Outage claims in our Claims Help Section under ‘What can I claim for?'

Planned outages are scheduled to allow enough time to complete all aspects of the required work. This includes safety checks before starting and before reinstating power. Individual customers may have their power switched on or off at different times between the listed start and finish times as work progresses.

Power outages may impact a number of streets at a time and the work to improve, repair or check the network may be taking place at another location. Crews must wait until safety checks have been completed before they can start work. In some cases, they may need to wait for any specialised equipment to arrive on site before the job can commence. Generally, if a job is cancelled we will send an SMS cancellation message to the occupant named on your electricity bill (where a mobile phone number has been supplied to the electricity retailer). In some cases, this is not always possible due to process constraints.

Impacts such as weather, unforeseen network incidents or staffing changes may result in planned power outages being cancelled at short notice. If this is the case, the job will generally be rescheduled and you will receive a hand delivered or postal notification a minimum of 4 business days in advance of the new date. On the day before, we will send an SMS to the occupant named on your electricity bill (where a mobile phone number has been supplied to the electricity retailer).

We take precautions to ensure that registered life support customers are aware of planned power outages and have adequate time to make alternate arrangements. If you rely on life support equipment, but are not yet registered as a life support customer, we encourage you to register your details with us and prepare an action plan in the event of a power outage. Read more about life support registration and how to make a plan for power outages on the Life Support section of our website.

Ausgrid does not provide, or reimburse for, generators for planned outages. If you are arranging your own generator or alternative backup power supply, be sure to follow the operating instructions. More information on the generator safety can be found in the Generator Safety Factsheet.

Your NBN/Internet provider may be affected. To check the status of the NBN network at your address, please visit the NBN website. If you rely on the NBN or internet for emergency phone contact, please contact your equipment provider or telephone/internet provider for further information.