EREC’s Cold Weather Advice
EREC urges you to pay close attention to cold weather hazards and take needed precautions to safeguard your home and family.
EREC takes necessary steps to make certain its power system is prepared for whatever weather may come our way. Our generation and transmission facility, PowerSouth Energy Cooperative, is anticipating a peak load during this storm event. However, generation resources are in place to cover all energy needs, and staff are making necessary preparations to ensure capacity needs are met.
EREC will immediately respond to any power outage on its system 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Power crews will work non-stop to ensure any disruption in power is restored as quickly and safely as possible.
Here are safety tips to follow during extreme cold temperatures:
Never touch a fallen power line, and assume all wires on the ground are electrically charged. Call EREC at 1-877-OUT-EREC or 1-877-688-3732 to report it immediately.
In the event of an outage, use an alternate heating source—such as a fireplace, propane space heater, or wood stove. Extreme caution should be taken.
Stay in an area of the home where the alternate heat source is located.
Fuel- and wood-burning heating sources should be vented. Be sure to follow manufacturer’s directions.
Make sure carbon monoxide detectors and smoke detectors are working properly.
Do not use a gas-powered oven for heating. A gas oven may go out or burn inefficiently, leading to carbon monoxide poisoning.
Do not use a gas or charcoal grill inside the home. Do not use charcoal briquettes in the fireplace.
If you use a portable generator to power a heating source, be sure the generator is located outside your house for proper ventilation. Do not use a generator in an attached garage. Follow manufacturer’s directions for operating the generator.
Take special care not to overload a generator. Use appropriately sized extension cords to carry the electric load. Make sure the cords have a grounded, three-pronged plug and are in good condition.
Never run cords under rugs or carpets.
Never connect generators to power lines. The reverse flow of electricity can electrocute an unsuspecting utility worker.
Escambia River Electric Cooperative’s telephone number to report outages is
1-877-OUT-EREC or 1-877-688-3732.
EREC is a Touchstone Energy® cooperative that distributes electricity to approximately 10,000 members in northern Escambia and Santa Rosa counties in Florida.
