Southern Illinois Electric Cooperative 
What to do in case of a power outage
Before calling the Cooperative:
- Check all breakers and fuses.
- Check with your neighbors - see if their power is off to help determine if this is just an individual outage or if more than one is out. If it is just you, the outage could be within your own home.
- Be sure the problem is not on your side of the meter. When Cooperative personnel are called out and the problem is on the member's side of the meter (i.e., within your own home), a charge of $200 will result.
If you feel the problem is not on your side of the meter:
- Call the Cooperative at 618.827.3555 or 800.762.1400.
- Select the outage reporting option.
- If possible, try to have a billing card for the location of the outage you are reporting - it will provide the needed information for reporting the outage - account # (such as 12345001) and meter # (such as 12345678) as shown on the bill.
- Your telephone number is very important to help us identify you and call you, if necessary. Your telephone number is not given to other sources.
- Report any unusual conditions on the line you may be aware of, i.e. limbs, trees on the lines, flashes or loud pops around the line equipment.
- Report any trouble on your own premises.
RESTORING POWER: WHO SHOULD BE FIRST???
Your Co-op has a list of priorities that we use to determine the best way to restore power after an outage. If it's a localized interruption, like a downed line or pole, the priority is easy: send out a crew and fix it. But if we get widespread damage from a storm or other cause, we have to take it step by step. For example, if we restore the lines going to your home before we repair substations and main lines, you still won't have power, and we'll have to come back to test the lines before actually hooking you up. By restoring power from the distribution points down, we can actually restore your power faster.
Transmission Lines
Transmission lines carry electricity from the Cooperative's source of generation (SIPC) to the Cooperative's substations. Our first priority must be to repair any transmission lines, as all members in an area will be affected if these lines are out of service.
Substations
Our next priority is to repair the substations that feed power to all our members. If the problem should be in the substation, we can restore power to a large area all at once.
Main LinesIf the interruption is on a main line carrying electricity from the substations to each community we serve, many members are affected. They are our next priority. Once power has begun to flow through these lines again, we can focus our attentions on the needs of our individual members.
TapsThese are the lines that bring power to smaller groups of members who live on the same road or in the same general area. Your Co-op will restore taps that serve the most members first, connecting the individual service lines that link taps with individual homes and businesses.
Small Taps and Individual Service LinesThose lines that serve just one or two members will be restored next. Often, power is restored to these members as the main lines are re-energized. If there is still a problem on a tap or service line, some members may see their neighbor's lights go on, while their power is still out. If this happens, the member should call the Cooperative to let us know they are still without power.
Other PrioritiesThe Co-op maintains a database of people with special power needs, such as life support equipment. The Co-op will make every effort to prioritize your needs. Members with these special requirements are encouraged to install some form of backup power source.