There are many common causes for a power outage. They include:

Weather

• Bad weather can cause damage to power lines and poles. Some lines and poles are more sensitive than others. Their sensitivity depends on their age and how they were installed. Some are installed incorrectly, incomplete or do not receive necessary upkeep as often as needed.
  

Weather events that can affect your power include:

• Lightning strikes
  
• Debris from weather (tree branches falling, trash)
• Wind
• Hail
• Heavy rainfall
• Flooding

Accidents

• Sometimes the unexpected happens and these unexpected events can cause a temporary power outage. Accidents can knock down poles, disconnect wires and damage lines.

Common accidents that affect power include:

• Improper handling
• Construction
• Car Accidents

Planned Sporadic Outages

• During times of regular maintenance and repair, many utility companies will schedule an outage. Residents are typically notified of this and they usually occur during low-usage hours, such as when most people are asleep.
• During high usage periods, such as summer, it’s not uncommon for the power grid to become overloaded. In order to prevent a planned sporadic outage in the event of an overload, utility companies will temporarily remove power from the grid until it recovers. This will typically occur without warning as it is a last-minute effort to stop a planned sporadic outage. This type of outage usually only appears as a light flicker to the consumer.

Improper Equipment

• Faulty wiring and/or old equipment in or near your home.
• Old/faulty wiring and equipment is a common cause of an outage. Unfortunately, some wiring and equipment is not repaired in time and an outage occurs, which signals the problem with equipment to the utility company. Although routine maintenance and frequent upkeep by the utility company will extend the life of wires and other power equipment, there will be a chance of outage between maintenance/repair appointments.