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Frequently asked questions during power outages

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| Monday, July 21, 2008 |

The following is a question-and-answer from MidAmerican Energy’s Web site, midamerican.com:

Question: What do I do if the power goes out?

Answer: First, check to see if power is out throughout your home or business. If not, check your circuit breaker box to see if a switch has tripped or your fuse box to see if a fuse has blown. Then, check to see if your neighbors have power. To report the outage, call (800) 799-4443.

Question: Why do I have to call in to report my power?

Answer: The more calls we receive, the quicker we are able to diagnose the cause of an outage. For example, if 44 customers call within the same time span, our outage management system will analyze their locations in relationship to each other and to MidAmerican Energy’s electric facilities and conclude that the outage is likely due to an isolated problem on a portion of the neighborhood’s circuit. If, on the other hand, 440 customers report an outage from the same general area, the analysis may indicate the outage is due to a problem on the entire circuit. Our crews can respond more efficiently and quickly if they have this information.

Question: Don’t you know my power is out?

Answer: Not necessarily. Your power outage may be isolated to your electrical equipment, such as your breaker, conductor, service attachment, mast or meter socket.

Question: Why do you ask so many questions when I call to report an outage?

Answer: The more information we have, the quicker we can track down the cause of the outage. We appreciate our customers’ patience while we ask those questions.

Question: Why does my neighbor have power but I do not?

Answer: It depends on the cause of the outage. They may receive electricity from a different power line or be on a different circuit.

Question: How do you decide whose power to restore first?

Answer: The following guidelines are used to prioritize outage restoration:

• The ability to restore service to as many customers as possible through switching and repair of transmission lines. Transmission line repair restores power to a large number of customers.

• Public health and safety issues, for example, hospitals, emergency facilities and municipal flood pumps.

• Outage area size or magnitude.

Question: Will I receive a refund for the time I am without power?

Answer: Electricity is metered so you’re never charged for power you don’t use.