Power Outage or Disconnected?

You’ve come home from a long day at work and you quickly discover the electricity is off!

Now, you wonder “Did I pay the bill?”  You start to get a little anxious about all the food in the refrigerator.

You think “Maybe there is a power outage in the area??

You want to know what’s going on, but you’re not sure just who you need to call.

How can you know for sure, right away, one way or the other?   (see the image at the bottom of this post!)

Well, with today’s advanced electricity meters (a.k.a “Smart Meters”)  you’ll be able to determine without having to make a phone call!

Step outside and take a look at your electricity meter. It’s usually on the side or the back of the house.

Once you locate the meter, take a look at the LCD screen.   First: If you see a blank screen; there is a power outage.

If the meter is flashing numbers and symbols, you’ll want to look for one of 2 status indicators. The meter will take about 10 seconds to cycle through flashing these indicators.

You’re looking for:

The flashing letters “CLS”
The flashing letters “OPN”

Remember,ONCOR, our Transmission Delivery Service Provider (TDSP) owns the meter and takes care of the power lines in this area.

Their automated systems “call” on our meters, using radio technology, every 15 minutes.

During a power outage, your meter, and others nearby won’t be able to respond to that radio call from ONCOR.   In that case, the system automatically detects this lack of communication and knows there is a problem; an electricity outage at your location.  With these “Smart Meters”, virtually all power outages are detected by ONCOR before anyone makes a phone call to advise them.

NOW, if you see the letters “OPN” – that’s not good news.

The letters OPN are telling you a switch inside the meter has been OPENED. Electricity cannot flow through an open switch. This means that ONCOR has received an order to shut off your electricity meter. It’s time to call your electricity provider, and get the details regarding the disconnection.

Finally, if you see the letters “CLS” — this is an indication the power is ON and you should have electricity at all outlets available. If power is not on inside the house, check the circuit breakers, or call an electrician.   Feel free to call us if you have any questions about this.

There you have it! Next time the lights are out, and you are not quite sure of the situation; take a look at that meter and look for one of these 3 indicators.     OPN?  CLS?  Blank Screen?