Outage Center

In the rare event you come across an electrical line laying on the ground, contact us immediately!

Above all else STAY AWAY from the line. A line lying on the ground may still be energized and can cause serious injury or even death.

• Secure the area so no one else comes into contact with the hazard.
• Contact Access Energy Cooperative immediately at 1-866-242-4232 to report the hazard. We have someone available to answer the phone at all times.
• Remain at the site of the hazard until our service crew arrives to handle the situation.

No one likes it when the power goes off, but knowing what to do is important for safety and could make a difference in how soon your power is restored.

At Access Energy Cooperative, we do our best to keep the number and duration of service interruptions as low as possible. By keeping trees trimmed and performing routine line maintenance, our members have far less outages than they would otherwise.

However, on that rare occasion your service is interrupted, following the steps below will ensure your power is restored as quickly as possible.

First Check Your Breakers

• Check the main breaker box to see if the main breaker or fuse is blown.
• If it is tripped or blown, then either reset the breaker or replace the fuse.
• If it blows again you will need to contact an electrician to find and fix the problem.
• If the breaker is not tripped or the fuse is not blown, then check to see if your neighbors are out of power.
  • If they have power, then check the breaker outside located under the meter (if your service is equipped with one).
  • If it is tripped, reset the breaker by flipping it off and then back on. If your service does not have a breaker, call us and report the outage.
  • If the breaker under the meter trips again, call us to report a problem with your service.

Once notified, our operations team will determine where the problem is.

• If the problem is on the member's side of the meter, the member may request our service crew to fix the problem or they can contact a qualified electrician to correct it.
• Depending on what is determined to have caused the outage and measures taken to correct it, the member may be billed for repairs to any of the equipment on the member's side of the meter.
• If you are in doubt, always feel free to call us at 319-385-1577 or 1-866-242-4232.

Reporting a Service Interruption

To report a service interruption, please call 319-385-1577 or toll free at 1-866-242-4232, and have as much of the following information available as possible. Please keep in mind that during a large spread outage, it may take a few calls to get through on the phone lines. Please be patient with us and keep calling. Or, you can report your outage through your SmartHub account. (If you need information on SmartHub, click here.)

• Your phone number
• The name the service is listed under
• The account number, location number, or 9-1-1 address where the service is out

In the meantime:

• Stay away from fallen trees or power lines. Avoid driving down roads or streets with fallen trees and power lines.

• Disconnect TVs, computers, and all electronic equipment to prevent damage when power is restored.

• Above all, stay inside and try to be patient. We’re working hard to have your power on again as soon as possible.

• If you lose power during a storm, call us right away so we can determine the extent of the power failure. Please keep in mind that during a large spread outage, it may take a few calls to get through on the phone lines. Please be patient with us and keep calling.
• Stay away from fallen trees or power lines. Avoid driving down roads or streets with fallen trees and power lines.
• Disconnect TVs, computers, and all electronic equipment to prevent damage when power is restored.
• Above all, stay inside and try to be patient. We’re working hard to have your power on again as soon as possible

We have someone available 24 hours day to receive calls to report service interruptions.

In the unfortunate event that you incur property damages as a result of a service interruption or something caused by Access Energy Cooperative or its employees, you may be able to submit a claim to Access Energy Cooperative’s liability insurance company.

In order for the claim to be paid, Access Energy Cooperative must be found to be negligent in some way. If damage is caused by a service interruption that is the result of a storm or act of nature, our insurance carrier will deny the claim.

If you feel you have a legitimate claim, please proceed with one of the following options:

• Submit the online form
• Or call our office at 319-385-1577 or 866-242-4232 and ask for our finance department

Receipts or estimates for the damages will need to accompany your claim.

Why would an electric cooperative plan an outage?

There may be a safety concern that needs to be fixed; or equipment may just be worn and needs to be replaced. We may need to shut the power off briefly to correct these things. In these instances, we do our best to plan to fix them at a time that would least inconvenience the member and to notify the member in advance.