During a power outage, we do our best to give you an accurate time your power will be back on. To give you a time you can rely on, we send an assessment crew to the site where there is damage to our network. This means we can understand what has gone wrong and how long it will likely take to repair.
Like any construction work, unexpected situations may arise that delay our crews. Here are some of the most common causes of delays our crews deal with when repairing the network.
Severe weather events
Severe weather events can cause strong winds, lightning, flooding and fires. This can shut down large areas of our network in a matter of minutes, cutting power to thousands of homes and businesses at once. We’ll respond quickly and deploy our crews according to how we prioritise getting the power back on.
Storms and fires are unpredictable, so when our crews are deployed, they sometimes have to deal with situations that are constantly changing.
This means:
- a fault can get worse while we’re repairing it
- access to the damaged part of the network is made difficult (or impossible) because of fallen vegetation, flooding and other environmental damage
- conditions are unsafe to work, like low visibility or flood waters
- your power outage gets caught up in a larger outage nearby, and becomes a more complex job to repair
- your property gets caught up in more than one outage, so our crews need to repair more than one part of the network to get your power back on.
Our crews do their best to handle changing situations, but sometimes these issues can cause delays in getting your power back on.
Safety hazards
Safety is our number one priority. Our crews take important safety precautions when working with electricity. Sometimes, accessing the site takes longer than expected due to difficult terrain, fallen trees or flooded areas. In dangerous situations we often work with emergency services to make sure we’re all working as one. When we discover asbestos on-site, we need to follow all standard procedures to keep our crews safe. Weather conditions can also impact visibility, making it unsafe for our crews to continue work. In these cases, our crews will need to wait for conditions to clear before they can continue work.
Waiting for specialised resources
Before we can repair damaged parts of the network, we may need a specialist team to clear heavy vegetation around the site. Other times, our construction crew will need to wait for specific equipment or materials to carry out repairs.
How will you know about any delays?
During an unplanned outage, you will receive regular SMS and/or email updates from us according to your communications preferences. We provide information like the cause of your outage and when we can get your power back on. Our aim is to get your power back on as quickly and safely as we can, but if our crews don’t get your power back on when we originally estimated, we’ll always tell you why. It’s important to keep checking Outage Tracker where we will display the new time your power is likely to be back on. Depending on the reason for the outage, we may have to update this time more than once, so it’s vital that you can access Outage Tracker regularly for the most up-to-date information.