IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION BE PREPARED FOR POWER OUTAGES Keep safe around electricity
YOUR ELECTRICITY NETWORK Aurora Energy is responsible for delivering safe, reliable electricity supply to more than 88,000 homes, farms and businesses in Dunedin, Central Otago and Queenstown Lakes. AURORA ENERGY NETWORK GLENORCHY ARROWTOWN QUEENSTOWN WANAKA CROMWELL ALEXANDRA ROXBURGH DUNEDIN
1 POWER OUTAGES CAN OCCUR AT ANYTIME. IT IS IMPORTANT TO BE READY. Natural disasters and wild weather can sometimes disrupt your power supply. Damage to power poles, wires and other electrical equipment faults can cut power to homes and businesses for up to hours or even days. In an emergency, we may need to turn the power off to make an area safe for rescue services and the public. We may also need to turn the power off during some types of maintenance and construction on power lines and cables for your safety and ours. Always be prepared for unexpected power cuts and have a torch, charged mobile phone and battery-operated radio. Here s some advice for all our customers on how to prepare and be safe when the power goes off.
2 Emergencies such as earthquakes, tsunamis, floods and storms can strike at any time, sometimes without warning. All disasters have the potential to cause disruption, damage property and take lives. For advice on how to get ready now to protect yourself, your family, home, business and community visit www.happens.nz.
3 Getting prepared Being prepared and having a back up plan in place for a power outage will help you manage until power is back on. It makes sense to be prepared whether it s for unexpected power cuts caused by a natural disaster, severe storms, emergency situations; or for planned power outages for us to maintain the network when you are notified ahead of time. In the event of an unexpected power cut or fault, we ll be working as quickly as is safely possible to make repairs and get power restored.
4 GETTING PREPARED Check out our handy tips to help make a plan and be prepared. KEEPING WARM A wood fire or a gas heater are alternatives to heating your house without electricity. Extra clothing and blankets are also a good way to keep warm. PREPARING MEALS A BBQ is a simple way to prepare hot food without using electricity. Remember to keep your fridge and freezer door closed as much as possible. An unopened fridge will keep contents cool for up to 4 hours and an unopened freezer for up to 48 hours. LIGHTING OPTIONS A torch with spare batteries is the best source of alternative lighting. Gas-power camping lanterns or candles can also be used. But please be careful - these are a fire risk. ALTERNATIVE POWER SUPPLY If you work from home or want to ensure essential household appliances continue to run, you can use a small generator.
5 PROTECTING YOUR ELECTRONICS Power could be restored at any time during the course of a power outage, so switch appliances off at the wall to avoid possible damage to electrical appliances when power is restored. CHARGING DEVICES If you have a device that can be powered by a USB cord, a power bank or a car charger are great sources of back-up energy. You can extend your battery life by turning Wi-Fi and Bluetooth off and closing any apps running in the background. PHONE AND INTERNET Fibre connections may not work during a power outage, however a 3G or 4G network connection should. If your house has a copper phone line connection that plugs into the wall, this will still work without power. HOT WATER SUPPLY Hot water cylinders will maintain their temperature for a while so you can still take a shower. The cylinder will heat up again when the power comes back on.
6 GETTING PREPARED WATER SUPPLY IN RURAL AREAS In most rural areas electricity is required to pump water to your home. Having an alternative source for fresh water, a non-electric pump or a backup generator can help with access to water within your home. AUTOMATIC GARAGE DOORS If you know a planned outage will occur, you may want to park on the street instead of inside a garage with automatic doors. Alternatively, there should be a manual release lever that lets you open the door from the inside. OFF-GRID CHORES Unfortunately, vacuuming and washing will be off the list for the day, but you might look at doing something different around the house. Here s some ideas: Wash the windows, wash the car, walk the dog, sort a messy cupboard, mow the lawn or get some garden work done.
7 ENTERTAINMENT There s still plenty of things you can do without TV, phones or computers. Here s some ideas: Board games, card games, arts & crafts, charades, build a fort, tell a story, read a book or play outside. You might even want to go out for the day, so you are unaffected by the outage.
8 PLANNED POWER OUTAGES Aurora Energy maintains and upgrades your electricity network to provide safe, reliable supply to homes, schools and businesses. We need to turn the power off during some types of maintenance and construction on power lines, underground cables and other equipment - for your safety and our workers safety. These are planned power outages, and they are notified ahead of time. Your electricity retailer will make every effort to notify you in advance if a power outage is required. Depending on the complexity of the work involved, your power could be off for just a few minutes, several hours, or the whole day. We thank you for your patience and understanding when we carry out important network maintenance and upgrades for the community.
9 TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT Be aware of traffic management in your area, for your safety please follow their directions if you are near the coned off site. ALTERNATIVE POWER SUPPLY If you run a business, work from home or want to ensure essential household appliances continue to run, you can hire a generator for the day. LATEST INFORMATION For up-to-date information on planned outages, visit www.auroraenergy.co.nz/outages or find us on Facebook. LATE CANCELLATIONS On occasion, we may be unable to proceed with work on the day the planned power outage is scheduled due to events beyond our control. Please check the Aurora Energy website or Facebook page on the day of the planned power outage in case of a late cancellation.
10 MEDICALLY DEPENDENT If you depend on power for medical reasons, it is vital you let your electricity retailer know immediately. Do not wait until the event of an emergency and risk a health emergency. Make sure you have a back-up plan if the power goes out. We rely on the information held by your electricity retailer when we are planning power outages to carry out maintenance on the network. By letting your electricity retailer know, we can double check you have been notified in advance. We make every effort to keep the power on 24/7, but sometimes the power can go off. Here are some tips to help you have a back up plan in the event your power goes off.
11 BACK-UP BATTERY Ask your health care professional about a back-up power source on your medical device. ALTERNATIVE POWER SUPPLY If you want to ensure your medical device continues to run, you can hire a small generator for the day. DAY TRIP Talk to friends and family and see if a visit to their house or a trip to town is possible. EMERGENCY SERVICES If there is an immediate health threat, contact your health care provider, call 111 or head to your nearest hospital. ADVISE YOUR ELECTRICITY RETAILER If you have critical medical equipment in your home which requires an uninterrupted mains power supply, make sure you let your electricity retailer know. COOL MEDICATION If your medication needs to be kept cool, you could place it in a chiller bag or transfer it to an unaffected friend or family member s fridge.
12 BUSINESS If you own or operate a business, it s important to be prepared for power cuts. That way you can stay open for business when the power goes off. Here are some specific tips to help you have a plan.
13 ALTERNATIVE POWER SUPPLY Back-up generators can be hired from various outlets around Dunedin, Central Otago and Queenstown Lakes. PROTECT YOUR FOOD If your business relies on perishable foods that need to be chilled, insulated freezer blankets are one option, or look to have an alternative location to store your food. LIFTS If your business has a lift it may not operate in a power outage. You may wish to make alternative arrangements, like directing people towards the stairs. EFTPOS Running a business in a power outage without a generator means eftpos machines won t work. You might want to prepare customers that it will be a cash only day, or look at hiring a mobile eftpos machine.
14 CHECKLIST BEFORE A POWER CUT - PLAN AHEAD USEFUL ITEMS: Torch and spare batteries Radio solar or battery-powered A primus or gas barbeque to cook on Wood fire or a gas heater for heating Extra clothing Warm blankets Pack of cards or a good book for entertainment Power bank to charge mobile phones and other small electronic devices Stock freezer with ice or freeze water-filled plastic containers to help keep food cold during a temporary power cut
15 CHECK: Do I have a back-up plan in case the power goes out? Are there surge protectors on sensitive electrical equipment such as TVs and computers? Do I know how to use the manual release lever on my automatic garage door? Have I advised my electricity retailer if I depend on power for medical reasons?
16 DURING A POWER CUT Turn off appliances at the wall until the power comes back on. Turn off and unplug sensitive appliances such as TVs and computers and leave them unplugged until the power comes back on. Keep your fridge and freezer door closed as much as possible. Eat the food from your fridge first, then freezer, before you eat the food in the cupboard. Extend the battery life on your mobile phone by turning off Wi Fi and Bluetooth and closing any apps running in the background. Only use generators away from your home and never run a generator inside a home or garage, or connect it to your home s electrical system.
17 ALWAYS TREAT ALL ELECTRICAL EQUIPMENT AS LIVE AT ALL TIMES.
Keep safe around electricity Always keep well clear of fallen power lines or damaged electrical equipment and treat them as live at all times. FOR ANY QUESTIONS GET IN TOuCH 0800 22 00 05 info@auroraenergy.co.nz www.auroraenergy.co.nz or find us on Facebook