Power outages do happen. PSNH works diligently to safely and quickly restore our customers’ power when outages occur. Here are some important considerations for staying safe during an outage:
- Be attentive to severe weather warnings.
- Report a power outage online or call 1-800-662-7764 -- 24/7
Downed Power Lines
- Stay away from downed wires and trees that might have wires caught in them.
- If you’re in a vehicle and downed wires are on the car or across the road, stay in your car until emergency crews arrive to handle the energized wire(s).
- Keep your distance from any downed power line.
- Don't drive over downed lines, and if a downed line is in or near water, keep your distance from the water, even a little puddle.
- And whether a power line is down or not, don't touch anything that might be in contact with it - like a tree limb, for example.
Generators
If you’re using a back-up or emergency generator, follow these safety guidelines to ensure everyone’s safety:
- Never install a generator inside a home or in any other enclosed space—even if windows are wide open.
- Generator exhaust contains carbon monoxide, a poison you cannot see or smell. Using a generator indoors can kill you within minutes.
- Locate a generator well away from your home, making sure exhaust cannot easily enter in through windows or doorways.
- Never try to power your house by plugging a portable generator into a household outlet. This can feed electricity back into the power lines—enough to electrocute a line worker, or a neighbor on the same circuit.
- The safe way to connect a generator to your existing wiring is to have a licensed electrical contractor install a transfer switch. NOTE: When improperly installed, home generators of any size--even "small"-- can backfeed enough power onto the electrical grid where it is “stepped up” to very high voltages.
- Using a generator improperly can be deadly to you and others. Please use the highest level of caution when operating a generator at your home.
Learn more about generator safety.
Emergency shelter
If you or your family need heat, air conditioning, power and a more comfortable place to wait out a power outage, particularly in very cold or very hot weather, you can call your local fire or police department or local Red Cross chapter to locate an emergency shelter.