The fastest and easiest way to report a power outage is by using our automated system. If a storm comes through during the day, our representatives are already at work and can personally take as many calls as possible from customers reporting an outage; however, when a storm comes through at night we have to call our representatives and allow them time to report to work to handle customer calls. The automated system allows for large volumes of calls to be handled right away.

One thing to keep in mind is that your account information is tied to your telephone number, so it's extremely important to make sure we have your current telephone number on file so you can quickly and easily report your outage.

Our crews work to restore service as quickly as possible to all affected customers; however, we do follow a priority "list" when large numbers of customers are affected and we know it will be a while before service is restored to ALL customers.

Our process for service restoration ensures:

1. Service is restored first to emergency and life-sustaining locations, such as the fire, police, hospitals, and nursing homes.
2. Then crews work to restore service to critical businesses, such as airports and individual customers who may be on home life-support systems.
3. Our efforts then focus on restoring service in areas where the largest number of customers can be restored in the least amount of time, primarily done by going circuit to circuit.
4. Finally, our crews move street by street, house by house until we every single customer has had their service restored.

There may be a couple of reasons why your neighbors have electric service while you do not. Even though they are your neighbors, they may be fed from a different circuit, substation or line. Maybe your circuit suffered more damage or you have a line with debris on it.

Another cause could be that there is damage to your home's wiring system. You can do a visual inspection once the storm has moved through to determine if this is the problem. If you are served by an overhead service, do a careful visual inspection. At the location where your electric service is located on your house, look at the pipe running from that meter up to where the line goes into it. This is what we call a weatherhead. Check to see if there is damage or debris on the line itself or if the weatherhead has been damaged or has been pulled from the house.

Example diagrams of service connections (weatherheads)

If any of these conditions exist, you will need to contact a qualified electrician to have the necessary repairs made to your service. Your electrician will contact an inspector once he has completed his work. The inspector typically notifies us once the inspection is complete so we know to restore your service; however, you should feel free to contact us to let us know the repairs have been made and the inspection has been completed. We will quickly dispatch a crew to restore service to your home.

Many factors play a part in determining when your power will be restored, including the severity of the storm and how widespread the damage is. In addition, we need to determine how much of our equipment was damaged. If there are broken poles, fallen trees and branches, it takes time to remove the broken equipment and debris before we can begin the repair work. We may have to re-set poles, remove fallen trees and debris and sometimes even re-build circuits.

Another determining factor is the time of day when a storm rolls through. If a storm occurs during the day, our crews are already at work and can respond much more quickly to outage calls. If a storm passes through our area at night, it can take a bit of time for us to contact our crews and for them to report to work, gather their equipment and be dispatched to begin work.

Even if a storm has affected your service and has moved on through your area, it may be wreaking havoc in other parts of our service territory. LG&E serves customers in 16 counties throughout Kentucky; KU serves customers in 77 Kentucky counties and five Virginia counties. Once a storm runs its course, we are able to assess the amount and severity of the damage to our entire system.

Until our crews arrive at a particular location to determine the actual cause for the outage, we are unable to provide you with an approximate time for restoration. Once our crew is on the scene, they report back to us to let us know the extent of the damage and an estimate for how long they anticipate the repairs to take. Some repairs may take a short amount of time, while others could take hours.

• Some of our employees volunteer to serve as public safety coordinators during major storm situations. They may have been dispatched to a particular area but are not trained to actually make the necessary repairs. They have been instructed to remain on-site to prevent customers from getting too close to the unsafe area. Once a trained repair crew arrives and makes the necessary repairs to ensure the area is safe, we will dispatch our public safety coordinator to another area.
• Crews may arrive in a particular area to discover they need certain parts or equipment. They may wait in the general vicinity (either in a residential area or a public location) until the appropriate equipment is delivered so they can make the necessary repairs.
• A crew may arrive on the scene and make the necessary repairs to restore service; however, they are instructed to remain in that area until we have called customers to confirm that service has been restored. The crew will be advised to remain on-site in the event a particular reports that their service has not been restored after the repairs were made.

• During routine tree trimming, our crews routinely pick up as much debris as possible to restore the area to the condition it was prior to the work.
• However, our tree trimming crews do not pick up brush or debris that is left after storm-related tree trimming. At such times, the crew's main focus is restoring power to our customers; therefore, they do the necessary trimming and move on to the next area. Clean up during storm-related trimming is the responsibility of the homeowner/resident.

We normally trim trees around our overhead power lines approximately every four years. The trees are trimmed in an effort to prevent them from growing into the power lines before the next scheduled trimming. Clearing the trees and brush from our power lines enables us to achieve our main objective which is to provide safe and reliable service to all of our customers.

We do not reimburse customers for damage to food and other perishable items that result from a power outage. However, if you have significant storm damage that is not caused by utility employees or equipment, you may want to check with your insurance agent to see if your homeowner's or renter's insurance covers the loss.

Disconnect notices are mailed to customers prior to their service being disconnected. Additionally, current bills with a past due balance include a message printed in the upper left-hand corner on the front of the bill that states: "Current due date applies to the current bill only. Previous amount due may be subject to disconnection."

This means that if the customer has not contacted us to establish satisfactory payment arrangements for past-due balances, the customer's service is subject to disconnection if the past-due balance is not paid.

• The customer's initial Budget Payment Plan Amount is calculated using current energy rates and previous energy usage at the residence. Months with abnormal or no usage are estimated.
• A Budget Payment Plan customer pays the calculated amount for 4 months regardless of the actual amount of usage each month. The Actual Account Balance is displayed on the back of the bill and it calculates the difference between the customer's Budget Payment Plan amount and what would have been required based on the actual usage.
• We review the customer's account every four months, taking into account the Budget Payment Plan Amount, payments made and actual usage. The Budget Payment Plan Amount may be adjusted to reflect changes from expected rates or an anticipated increase in usage (as we head into the cold winter months or the hot summer months). Any accumulated difference in the form of a debit (you owe us) is spread over the remaining months of the year. Likewise, an accumulated difference in the form of a credit (we owe you) is factored into the adjusted Budget Payment Plan Amount.
• At the end of 12 months, we attempt to "zero-out" or settle up the account by eliminating all or much of the difference between the total amount paid throughout the previous 12 months and the actual amount due (Actual Account Balance) for the year. The customer's monthly Budget Payment Plan Amount may be adjusted again at this time, if necessary.
• Note: If a customer is removed from our Budget Payment Plan as a result of non-payment, the customer will not be allowed to re-enroll for at least twelve months from the date they were removed.
• Restrictions: Customers with arrears may sign up for our Budget Payment Plan once they have paid the past-due balance.

   A deposit (new or additional) may be required from a customer if:

• We have not previously secured a deposit from the customer;
• The customer fails to maintain a satisfactory payment or credit record;
• The customer otherwise becomes a new or greater credit risk

Customers planning to do any type of home improvement or tree trimming work in the vicinity of a power line should call our Customer Service Department to make a request to have the line moved out of the way. Please allow at least five days prior to beginning the work so we can schedule a crew.

LG&E customers can e-mail or call (502) 589-1444 (outside Louisville, call 800-331-7370)
KU and ODP customers can e-mail or call 1-800-981-0600

There is a $20.00 charge for performing this service. Once the work is complete, or call us back at the number above and we will reconnect the line at no additional cost.

Bills may be estimated for a number of different reasons. Perhaps our meter reader could not obtain access to your meter or there was a dog in the yard. Sometimes customers forget to unlock the door when a meter is located inside or a gate in a locked area outside. At times, debris or brush prevent our meter reader from getting to the meter. There are also times when weather conditions, vehicle or equipment problems or illness may prevent our meter reader from completing the route.

We make every effort to read all meters within our service area once a month. In fact, the Kentucky Public Service Commission requires us to read at least once within a 12-month period. In the event we are unable to perform an actual reading of your meter, we will notify you about the steps necessary to ensure we have access to your meter.

We perform periodic tests of our equipment to ensure it is in proper working order. There are times, however, when equipment will fail without our knowledge.

Most often, customers will ask for a meter test if they receive a bill that seems unusually high. They are concerned that the meter may be running fast.

We are happy to test meters when customers ask us to do so. Tests that reveal a meter malfunction are performed at no cost to customers; however, if a customer requests a meter test and we discover no problem with the meter^*, certain fees (see below) apply to cover the cost of the test and transportation.

If the meter(s) test more than two percent fast, there is no charge.

» LG&E - Electric Meter Test - $31.40; Gas Meter Test - $69.00
» KU - Electric Meter Test - $31.40
» ODP - Electric Meter Test - $13.25 (The charge is only applicable if the meter is tested twice in two years.)

* Charges apply only if the test reveals the meter is running more than two percent fast.

Safety is our number one priority, and customer service is of the utmost importance as well. We want to know if one of our employees or business partners are acting in an unsafe or unprofessional manner.

If you witness reckless driving or unprofessional behavior from any of our employees or contractors, please write down the employee's vehicle or license plate number. Then call our Customer Service department to report this information.

- LG&E customers, call (502) 589-1444 (outside Louisville 800-331-7370)
- KU and ODP customers, call (800) 981-0600.

Contact Risk Management Services Corp.

- LG&E customers, call (502) 326-5900 (outside Louisville 800-372-5402)
- KU and ODP customers, call (877) 413-1900 (Ext. 1)