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| Outage reporting |
| To report an outage, have your location number (found at the top of your bill) ready and call 451-1515 or (800) 322-3849. |
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| The Restoration Process |
| Click on the link below to see how New-Mac Electric goes about getting power back to its customers. |
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| Stay away from downed lines |
Heavy snows, ice and winds are all capable of bringing down power lines. New-Mac would like to remind everyone to stay away from downed power lines.
Please don’t touch, attempt to move, or drive over downed lines. Also, don’t touch anyone who is in contact with power lines.
Always report downed power lines to New-Mac Electric at 451-1515 or (800) 322-3849. |
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| Be prepared |
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Southwest Missouri residents are more than aware of what storm season can bring. While we can’t predict the weather, something everyone can do is be prepared if the storms do indeed come.
By planning ahead, the hardships of destructive storms can be lessened. Keep the following items on hand and be prepared:
• Flashlight (with extra batteries) and candles.
• Battery-powered radio.
• Bottled water and non-perishable food items.
• Manual can opener.
• Extra medicine and baby items.
• First-aid supplies.
• Back-up heating source – NEVER use a charcoal grill to cook or heat inside any home or structure.
• Fire extinguisher and smoke detector.
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| Generator safety |
A standby generator can be helpful during an extended power outage, but proper installation and operation is critical!
Generators come in a variety of sizes. They can range from 500 watts on up to several megawatts of output, and run on gasoline, diesel, propane or natural gas. The size of generator needed can be determined by totaling the wattage of the lights, appliances, devices, etc., and then add about 20 percent for the increased start-up power requirements.
Properly installing a generator is critical! A whole-house generator – that is tied directly into your wiring – must have a double-pole, double-throw transfer switch installed at your breaker panel by a qualified electrician. Without the switch, a generator can backfeed 240 volts to the transformer, where it is then stepped up to 7,200 volts and sent down the lines, creating a life-threatening situation for the linemen trying to restore your power.
The double-pole, double-throw switch makes it impossible to have both the generator and the power supplier service connected at the same time. It opens one to close the other.
Another reason for having a qualified electrician hook up your generator is for the protection of everything you plan to have powered by it. Improperly connecting to the generator could damage all of your appliances, electronics, etc.
When weather threatens, generators can provide peace-of-mind, but they must be installed correctly. Please also consider the following safety tips involving generators:
• Follow the instructions included with your generator.
• Make sure your generator is properly grounded.
• Never overload the generator.
• Never add fuel while it is running.
• Never use a generator indoors.
• Always keep a fully-charged fire extinguisher nearby.
• Turn off all appliances powered by your generator before shutting it down. |
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