How to Prepare for a Winter Power Outage

Winter is on the horizon, and if this year’s winter is similar to the past few years, we can expect extremely cold weather, at least short-term. Your Dallas electric company would like to offer you information on how to best prepare for a winter power outage.

How do you know when an outage will occur?

The majority of outages occur in conjunction with extreme weather. If you know a severe storm is approaching, an outage is more likely.

Weatherize

Your home can withstand the rigors of most forms of weather, but that does not mean you will be comfortable within it. To keep warm while the temperatures are below freezing outside, weatherizing is essential.

• Insulate windows and doors
• Seal any holes bored out for electrical wires or water pipes
• Use draft stoppers on exterior doors
• Cover outside faucets and insulate any exposed pipes
• Close the chimney flue
• Have your HVAC serviced to ensure it heats properly
• Invest in quality power strips for any electronics that could be affected during a brownout

Stock up

You and half the Dallas population will probably be rushing to the grocery store for water, bathroom tissue, and bread when you hear a storm’s coming. Stock up on the essentials early to beat the crowd. In case power is disrupted, be sure your foods are not meant to be refrigerated. In other words, peanut butter, canned foods, and crackers are a better choice than a sirloin steak.

Fill the gas tanks on all your vehicles, and any gas cans to run generators or gas-powered chainsaws to clean up debris after the storm.

Sanitize and clean your bathtub and fill it with water since the municipal water facility may also lose power.

Invest in a battery back-up for your electronics

Cellular phones have become essential. Be sure your phone, laptop, and other portable electronics are fully charged before a storm, and invest in a battery back-up to act as a power source in case your electronics run low on charge.

Flashlights, radios, and batteries

While these may seem extremely low-tech and your children will roll their eyes and tell you every phone has a flashlight feature and can give you up-to-the-minute news, it takes significantly longer for a flashlight battery to run low on charge than it does a phone. Likewise, a radio will continue to work when cellular service is out. Unlike a phone, when a radio or flashlight does run out of charge, changing out batteries takes only a minute.

Invest in a generator

If you have very young children or elderly parents who cannot survive without power, invest in a generator to supply power. This can keep medical equipment operable, small room heaters running, and refrigerators operating to prevent foods from spoiling.

Live smaller

Rather than everyone shivering separately in their own bedrooms, gather everyone into one room and turn on a portable heater, light a fire in the fireplace or wood stove, and cuddle up together under blankets and read a story.

Dress in layers

Your body heat escapes when you wear a thin layer of clothing. Multiple layers trap your body’s natural heat and keep you significantly warmer than one large coat over a short-sleeved shirt.

Stay alert to weather conditions and prepare beforehand when you know a winter storm is imminent. Look to your Dallas electric company, Pronto Power, for more energy-related tips by visiting our website or calling 844 621-2852. Be safe.