How co-ops work to restore service after an outage
July 2026
Report outages by using the SmartHub mobile app used by many co-ops. (Vecteezy photo)
story courtesy of Mecklenburg Electric Cooperative
As summer storm season begins, the risk of power outages increases. While co-ops work year-round to maintain electric systems and clear rights-of-way, severe weather can still cause outages that are beyond anyone’s control.
Keeping the power on — and restoring it when it goes out — takes a lot of coordinated effort. When an outage occurs, your co-op’s crews respond as quickly and safely as possible, following a proven, step-by-step restoration process designed to bring power back to the greatest number of members in the shortest amount of time.
1. HIGH-VOLTAGE TRANSMISSION LINES
Restoration begins with assessing damage to transmission facilities. Although rare, major storms can damage transmission towers or high-voltage lines. Because these lines deliver power to large areas, repairing them is always the top priority.
2. DISTRIBUTION SUBSTATION
Next, crews check on distribution substations, which receive power from the transmission system and serve thousands of members. If an issue can be resolved at a substation, electricity can be restored to many homes at once.
3. MAIN DISTRIBUTION LINE
If the problem isn’t located at a substation, crews then inspect the main distribution lines that carry power from substations into communities. Once those lines are repaired, power can be restored to towns and neighborhoods — provided there’s no additional damage.
4. TAP LINES
After that, crews move on to tap lines. These smaller lines carry power from distribution lines to transformers located on poles or underground near homes and businesses. In many cases, restoring tap lines resolves the outage.
5. INDIVIDUAL HOMES
If your home is still without power after nearby areas have been restored, the issue is often damage to the service line that connects your home to the transformer. If this occurs, please call your co-op right away so a line crew can be dispatched to your location.
Power restoration is complex — your co-op and its crews appreciate your patience and cooperation whenever outages occur. For the latest outage information, including current service interruptions, visit your co-op’s online outage map.
Reporting an outage is easy. In addition to calling your co-op, you can report outages by using the SmartHub mobile app, which is used by many co-ops.