Power restoration plan
BGE has a detailed strategy for restoring your electrical service after a power outage. Here are some of the details:
Our first priority is the safety of you and our employees. While our goal is to always to restore power to the greatest number of customers in the shortest amount of time, medical and emergency services receive first priority. - Our next step is repairing main power lines and equipment that will restore the most power to the most customers at once.
- Next, we restore individual transformers and smaller lines to individual homes and businesses. The illustration below shows the order in which BGE restores the power.
In severe storms with widespread damage, we may need to physically assess damage before restoration begins. If you see a truck leave your neighborhood before your power goes back on, please rest assured that we are not ignoring your problem. We may need to repair or replace larger power lines or equipment before the line to your home or business is restored. If, however, your power remains off after service is restored to your neighborhood, call our electric outage number again at 877.778.2222. We won't stop working until everyone's power is back on.
Restoration priorities:
- Transmission Lines
Bring bulk power from power plants
Connect to several substations
10,000+ customers affected
- Substations
Distribute power to several circuits
6,000+ customers affected
- Distribution Lines
Form power networks connecting communities and industries
1,500+ customers affected
- Overhead Lines
Serve smaller customer groups or neighborhoods
50+ customers affected
- Transformers
Reduce level to usable voltage for your home or business
1 - 8 customers affected
- Line to Your Home or Business
Why does the restoration work start with transmission lines and work down to my home or business?
All the lines and equipment that carry electricity between the generating plant and your home or business must be restored before it can be delivered to a specific address. It wouldn't help to fix an individual problem until the larger lines and systems are restored.
Will BGE remove fallen trees and debris from wires?
Yes! Please contact us immediately if a weather event has caused a tree or limb to fall on our electrical wires. Tree crews will remove the tree or limbs from the wires and clear the area to allow service to be restored. Removal of debris, left as a result of the storm, will still be your responsibility. Call 800.685.0123 outside the Baltimore Metropolitan area to report the condition.
