The United Illuminating Company wants to ensure that our customers are safe and know what steps to take during a storm.

Before a Power Outage

• Home Generators - If you have a home generator, be sure that it is installed by a licensed electrician. The generator must be connected to your home's wiring through a special transfer switch to ensure that the house wires are isolated from the utility wires so that UI lines cannot be energized by your generator.
• Medical Issues - If you or someone in your home uses electronically operated life-support or medical monitoring equipment, it is important to have a back-up plan in case an extended power outage occurs. UI has a program to register “life support” customers – Call 1-800-7CALLUI (1-800-722-5584) to find out more.
• Have a “hardwired” phone in the house as most cordless phones do not work when the power is off.
• Know how to manually operate an electric garage door.
• Have the following items ready and easily accessible:
  • Flashlights with batteries
  • Battery-operated radio and clock
  • Extra batteries
  • Containers of water or bottled water
  • Canned, freeze-dried or dehydrated food
  • Manual can opener
  • List of important phone numbers
  • First-aid kit

At the Threat of a Major Storm

• Turn your refrigerator and freezer temperature dials to their coldest settings.
• Unplug all sensitive electronic equipment – Computers, TV, VCR, answering machine, etc.
• Turn off or unplug major appliances that are not in use.
• If you have a well and water pump, fill your bathtub and spare containers with water. (Safety Warning: keep small children and pets away from full bathtubs).

If you lose power:

• Unplug sensitive electronic equipment, such as computers, TVs, stereos and VCRs.
• Keep refrigerator and freezer doors closed. Food lasts up to 24 hours if the doors aren’t opened.
• If you use a portable generator, following important, life-saving instructions.
• Call UI at 1-800-7-CALL UI (1-800-722-5584) or in the New Haven area at 499-3333 to report power problems. When prompted, press 1 to report an outage, press 2 to report a safety concern such as a downed wire. A reminder: stay away from downed electrical wires, always assume they’re live.
• Customers are able to report outages via UI’s IVR (Interactive Voice Response) system. Automated outage reporting is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and will greatly reduce “on hold” times. Receiving more information faster will also help speed our restoration efforts.