Restoring your power after a storm

When you report an outage on the phone or online, you alert us to a possible outage in your area. All outage reports and known network information combines as a known outage, and within a couple of minutes we can display the area without power as an orange outline on our power outage map.

• If you are the only property reporting an outage in your street or road, you may not show up on the website map as we don’t display single properties for security reasons.
• If you are part of a group of properties not displaying on the map, make sure someone has reported the outage on www.ausgrid.com.au/report or by calling 13 13 88.

We first prioritise repairs to our high voltage lines as these repairs can restore multiple areas at a time. Once this is done we focus on the low voltage wires in the street. Read more in ‘How We Restore Power’.

Our first priority is to remove any life-threatening hazards, such as fallen powerlines. Our Emergency Services Officers make checks on the site to assess damage and make the area is safe. In some instances they may need to disconnect the electricity supply.

Our crews also assess what work needs to be done to restore power and we may need to coordinate our activities with other emergency services such as police or the NSW Rural Fire Service (RFS) For complex repairs this may include removal of poles, and stringing new wires by a follow up team with specialised equipment.

If the power is restored in your street, but you are still out:

Make sure we know your property is without power

• Call in outages or fallen poles and wires on 13 13 88 or report online at ausgrid.com.au/hazards. Individual properties without power are not shown on the power outage map for security reasons.
• If you have already reported loss of supply, but need further advice call us on 13 13 88.

Check for damage to your connection point, wires or poles

• If you remain without power after the network in your street has been repaired, there may be damage to the service line between your property and the poles and wires in the street. Also check for damage to your roof, or to any private pole. Be sure to stay at least 8 metres away from any damaged wires, and do not attempt any repairs yourself. 
  
  If part of the street is out, there may be damage to wires further away that supplies those properties.

If your service wire, or your private electricity pole is damaged Ausgrid cannot carry out repairs to customer equipment past the connection point, due to regulations. Customers should contact a qualified electrician to repair damage to their own equipment.

Once repaired, Ausgrid can safety reconnect properties to the network in the street.

Customers are reminded that when their electrical contractor carries out the repair work they provide you with a Certificate of Compliance Electrical Work. (CCEW). This CCEW will assist in your insurance claim and as well as when Ausgrid return to reconnect supply.

For more information see: Private Poles.