CHARLESTON, W.Va., February 17, 2015 – Appalachian Power is encouraging its customers to prepare for colder temperatures and extreme wind chills expected this week across much of Virginia, West Virginia and Tennessee. Meanwhile, the company is monitoring its distribution system closely to ensure reliability in advance of the expected increase in demand for electricity.
“We do not anticipate widespread outages due to cold temperatures,” said Phil Wright, Appalachian Power’s vice president of distribution operations. “Our system is designed to handle temperature extremes but we always want to be prepared. As a result, we’re reviewing our substation equipment and looking along our distribution lines for any concerns and will make adjustments as needed.”
Appalachian Power employees and company contractors will remain on alert as they have for the past week. Over the Valentine’s Day weekend, damage caused by snow and high winds left more than 12,000 customers without electric service across the company’s service area. Employees responded by working through the weekend to restore power.
Customers who do lose service can help speed restoration by turning off all electric appliances, including heating and air conditioning systems, until 10-to-30 minutes after power has been restored. This step helps prevent circuit overload situations. Outages can be reported to Appalachian Power by calling the customer service center toll-free. In Tennessee, the number is 1-800-967-4237
; Virginia, 1-800-956-4237; and West Virginia, 1-800-982-4237. During times of high call volume callers may hear a recorded message and can leave a voice message about the outage.
Customers with access to a laptop, smartphone or tablet have the option to report an outage online at www.AppalachianPower.com. They also can track their individual outage at www.AppalachianPower.com/MyOutage with a user ID and password.
When severe weather is forecast customers should always prepare for outages by assembling an emergency kit with flashlights and fresh batteries; battery-powered radios or televisions; candles, matches, or lighters; water for drinking and cooking; a portable heater (oil or gas); camping equipment (sleeping bags, camp stoves, lanterns); canned goods and a manual can opener; and manufacturers' instructions for power-operated equipment such as the garage door. Keep cell phones charged and have a mobile charger available for use in automobiles.
Appalachian Power provides electricity to 1 million customers in Virginia, West Virginia and Tennessee (as AEP Appalachian Power). It is a unit of American Electric Power (NYSE: AEP), one of the largest electric utilities in the United States, with more than 5 million customers in 11 states. AEP ranks among the nation’s largest generators of electricity, owning nearly 38,000 megawatts of generating capacity in the U.S. AEP also owns the nation’s largest electricity transmission system, a nearly 39,000-mile network that includes more 765 kilovolt extra-high voltage transmission lines than all other U.S. transmission systems combined.
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