SCE Prepares for Summer Planned Power Outages

In the past, residents have been livid with Southern California Edison for cutting off their power during the extreme summer heat. With summer quickly approaching, SCE wants to get ahead of the complaints. Here’s some helpful information: What is the purpose of having planned outages in the summer? "Because the community has grown so much and the demand for energy has grown we need to ensure that the grid can adjust to those cultural needs," SCE account manager Luis Lara said. Workers said SCE schedules an average of two to four planned power outages in the Palm Springs area every day. In those cases, SCE warns customers 7 to 11 days in advance. How can you get warned? Mail, text, email, etc. but your information must be current. "It is very important for our customers to understand that we need their updated contact information this will ensure we are able to deliver that information to you well in advance so that if you need to make any preparations in advance because you have a dog, a sick parent, a child or whatever it is, you can make those emergency plans," Lara said. How do I update my information? Log in to your SCE account, update your contact information and select your preferred method of how you want them to reach you, or call SCE. Are there other resources? The SCE app gives you up-to-date information during an outage: when it will be done, how many people affected, etc. What if I have a medical condition? SCE will make exceptions on a case-by-case basis – notify them on your SCE account. During emergency situations, they make extra accommodations. "If we send out a notification to that critical care or medical baseline customer and that notification comes back as undelivered, then we will have to leverage a resource to literally go out and to double check on that customer and make sure everything is okay," Lara said. Need to get out of the house during an outage? Cooling centers are always an option and locations can be accessed through SCE. Could an outage be cancelled? If temperatures reach above 120 or there’s a technical issue, yes. During the summer this happens more often. "There may be times particularly during the summer where we have to reschedule the outage and we may annoy you, you may be bothered with us but we’re looking out for the greater good," Lara said. For more information, visit sce.com.