Outages and Your Business

Knowing what to do before, during and after a power outage is important for your safety and essential for your business assets, especially your valuable (and expensive) electronic equipment and systems.

There are a number of simple, low or no-cost measures you can take to make sure your business is prepared for a power outage, such as supplying flashlights to each department, or posting a diagram of your electrical system in your meter room so your workers can restore your power more quickly.

It also won’t take long for you and your employees to learn how to cope if the power (and the lights) suddenly goes out.

First look next door and, if the power is still on, check your fuses or circuit breakers, then contact NTPC at 1-800-661-0854.

New phone number? Update your account

Before an outage

Business outage preparation checklist

Check your back-up systems
When the power goes off
When power is restored

New phone number? Update your account

We want to provide you with the best possible service. When you call us to report a power outage, for example, if you do not have your NTPC account number handy, the easiest and fastest way for us to identify your account is through your main business telephone number.

If your number has changed but our records haven’t, it can take us longer to answer your questions or pinpoint your location. Please ensure your account information is current.

Before an outage

1. Know your building

Identify the location of your meter room and electric service entrance
Make sure you have access to your meter room.
If you have more than one electric meter, identify which meter serves each part of your building, and the pieces of equipment that are connected to each meter.
Identify the voltage levels that NTPC delivers to your location.
If your meter room does not have an emergency lighting system, consider installing one.
Keep a flashlight, along with fresh batteries, in the meter room so you can see your equipment if the power goes out.
If your building has fuses, know their location and rating. Keep two sets of spares in reserve in case a fuse blows when power is restored.

2. Know your equipment

Post an electrical one-line diagram in the meter room to help the people working to restore power.
Develop and implement a written maintenance program for your vault and electric equipment.
Prepare a list of the equipment that will need to be turned off during an outage, and reset when power is restored.
Contact the service providers for your telephone service, security system and fire protection system for information on how these systems will operate during, and after, a power outage.
Know what equipment can and cannot be turned off. Develop a plan for controlled shut-down if needed.
If you have three-phase equipment, install a protection device and know how to reset it after an outage has occurred.

3. Have a plan

Prepare and document your operational tasks and responsibilities during a power outage.
Have an operational plan ready for shutting down and restarting electrical equipment and appliances.
Have someone on-site or on-call who is qualified to work on your electrical equipment.
Establish the back-up personnel responsible for handling emergencies that happen after hours, and develop an after hours notification system.
Install surge protection devices to protect sensitive electronic equipment.
Develop a list of emergency phone numbers. Include suppliers, electricians, contractors, elevator services, computer services, managers at your business, and NTPC at 1-800-661-0854.
Post the list in the meter room and in other strategic locations for quick access when needed.
Set up a safety committee. Appoint safety coordinators in each section of your business to provide information and direction to the employees in their work areas.
Have a cell phone or corded phone available or readily accessible. Cordless phones and your company’s phone system may not work without electricity.
Ensure all key personnel have cell phones, and that everyone has a list of key phone numbers.
Have a qualified electrician test the breakers to make sure they work and are not likely to break when repeatedly opened and closed.
Put together and maintain an emergency kit. Include flash lights, a battery-powered radio, battery-powered clocks, extra batteries, and a copy of your emergency plan, with key phone numbers.

4. Prepare your employees

Educate employees on what to do if an outage occurs. Include information on:

Using the elevators at your site
Shutdown procedures for air conditioning or refrigeration equipment, alarm systems, and any other critical equipment or systems.

Ensure that key staff know the procedure for reporting an outage, and have access to your NTPC account number or your
Have an emergency plan in place for employees who rely on medical equipment. This may include a back-up power supply or transportation to another facility.
Provide flashlights to each department. Do not use candles.

Business Outage Preparation Checklist

This checklist can help you create a customized outage preparedness plan for your business.

Keep protective gloves and goggles on hand, so employees will be prepared to switch breakers back on when power is restored. Be sure that your protective equipment meets WSCC regulations for the voltage levels in your facility.

Check your back-up systems

If you have a stand-by generator, know its make, capacity and delivery voltage.
Have someone on-site or on-call who is qualified to work with your back-up system.
Make sure all manufacturers’ operating instructions are carefully followed.
Double-check that all critical loads, including elevators and emergency lighting, are connected to your stand-by generator.
Verify that your stand-by generation capacity is enough to handle this load.
Establish a regular maintenance program for your stand-by generator.
Test your stand-by generator each month.

Check the generator under load conditions to make sure it works.
Include the switchgear and transfer switch in your test.

Remove potential hazards or hazardous materials that could be impacted by the operation of a stand-by generator.
Know how much fuel you have stored for the generator, and how long it will last during an outage.
Establish quick fuel delivery arrangements in case you run out of fuel.
Install a fuel inhibitor (gasoline and diesel fuels), and plan to use, replace or polish this fuel at least once a year.
Test your back-up battery systems (Uninterruptible Power Supply or UPS), emergency lighting, phone, security, fire protection, etc.) each year.
If you have a UPS system, know its back-up capacity (in minutes).
Update this information as you add or remove equipment.
Develop a plan for the orderly shutdown of equipment before the capacity limit is reached.

When the power goes off

Check your circuit breakers or fuses to make sure that the outage is not being caused by equipment problems in your facility. Is power out in your whole area?
Check to make sure employees are safe.
Check your elevators, equipment and the facility in general for situations that may need immediate attention.
If the outage is in your own system, contact your electrician or electrical contractor.
If it’s an NTPC outage, report it by calling 1-800-661-0854.
Turn off major pieces of equipment not connected to your stand-by generator. Some appliances or tools left on will start up automatically when service is restored, turning them off can prevent damage, injury or fire.
Leave a few light switches in the “on” position in visible areas so you know when the power is restored.
Go to the meter room and shut off the circuit breakers to the major pieces of equipment. This will help avoid power surges, and possible damage to your equipment, when the power is restored.

When power is restored

When power is restored, turn on the most essential equipment first, and wait 10 to 15 minutes before reconnecting voltage-sensitive and less-critical equipment, to give the system a chance to stabilize.
Close your circuit breakers one at a time.

Start with your non-critical, single-phase breakers first.
Wait a minute or two to make sure your equipment is operating before moving to the next breaker.

Turn on any three-phase equipment at the end of this process.
Remember to reset clocks, automatic timers and alarms.
Shut down your stand-by generator and transfer load back to your electric system, following manufacturer’s instructions.
Check and replenish the fuel supply for your stand-by generator.
Review and update your outage plan in light of the learnings from this outage, while the experience is fresh in everyone’s mind.
Meet with your safety committee to update procedures as necessary.
Communicate and report what happened to all concerned.