Power Outages

With advanced meters, our team is automatically alerted when there is a power outage. You do not need to call to report your outage.

If you still wish to get in touch, you can email or text us at lightsout@lpandl.com, or call City of Lubbock Utilities at (806) 775-2509 to reach the 24-hour Emergency Operations Center.

• During outages, customers contacting us by phone may experience longer hold times due to the large number of calls.
• When prompted, be prepared to give your service address, a phone number and any other information about the nature of your outage that you can share.
• Unless you believe there is a life-threatening situation, do not call 9-1-1 to report a power outage.

To report a street light power outage, call 311 during business hours from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., email or text us at Streetlights@mylubbock.us or make a request on the MyLBK app.

• Please be prepared to give us the approximate address of the street light, a phone number and any other information about the nature of the street light outage.
• If there is no address for the street light power outage, please be as detailed as possible with directions such as Northeast corner of I-27 and 82nd Street, Southwest Loop 289 and East Slaton Highway, etc.
• Unless you believe there is a life-threatening situation, do not call 9-1-1 to report a street light power outage.

Don't go near downed power lines! Treat all wires as if they are live (energized). Report damaged lines or equipment immediately to City of Lubbock Utilities at (806) 775-2509. If there is a danger to life or property, call 9-1-1.

• Stay clear of downed lines and report them immediately. Always assume a downed wire is energized and therefore dangerous. Touching a live line or anything near it - such as a fence, puddle, car, etc. - can cause electricity to be transmitted through your body until it reaches the ground.
• Limit phone usage. Depending on how widespread the outage is, phone lines and cell phone systems may become overloaded and limit emergency communications.
  
• Keep refrigerator or freezer doors closed. The USDA says a refrigerator will keep food safely cold for up to four (4) hours if unopened. Discard refrigerated, perishable food such as meat, poultry, fish, soft cheeses, milk, eggs, leftovers, and deli items if the power has been out for more than four hours.
• Have a flashlight and emergency kit ready. Use a battery-powered radio or an Internet-connected device (laptop or smart phone) for outage updates.
• Use caution when driving, as traffic signals may not be working properly.

LP&L knows reliable electric service is a must for those using life-support devices. In the event of an outage, our crews work as quickly as possible to restore power.

To keep yourself or a loved one on life-saving equipment safe:

• Keep important phone numbers in an easy-to-access location for your doctor, the life-support equipment supplier and/or manufacture and local electricians, in the event their assistance is needed.
• Have an alternate plan in place to ensure the continuity of any life-support needs. This may include making special arrangements to spend time with a friend or relative during an outage or using a temporary or back up electricity generation source like batteries or a generator.
• Ensure you have a back-up telephone that does not require electricity (cordless phones may not work without electricity).
• Have a battery-powered radio on hand with new batteries to stay aware of news and other information in a convenient location.
• Keep a flashlight and extra batteries in a convenient location.

Please know customers are responsible for the safe installation, use, and maintenance of any temporary or back up electricity generation sources.

LP&L recommends creating an electricity outage kit that contains the following:

1. LP&L contact information:
   • Email or text us at lightsout@lpandl.com
   • Call (806) 775-2509 to reach the 24-hour Emergency Operations Center
2. A phone that does not require electricity (cordless phones may not work without electricity).
3. Flashlights
4. Batteries
5. Battery-powered radio or television
6. Non-electric clock
7. Bottled water and nonperishable food
8. Manual can opener
9. Manufacturer's instructions on how to manually open power-operated doors such as garage doors or electric-powered gates.
   
10. Extension cords (for partial outages)
    
11. First aid kit

With advanced meters, our team is automatically alerted when there is a power outage. You do not need to call to report your outage.

During an outage, our crews work to restore power as quickly and safely as possible.

• LP&L's electric system includes hundreds of circuits serving over 108,000 electric meters in the City of Lubbock.

• First, we attempt to re-energize major circuits serving several thousand customers each. Then we concentrate on restoring service to smaller clusters of customers and individuals.

• For most circuit outages, our Emergency Operations Center is automatically alerted and our teams can use computer equipment to remotely resolve the issue.

• In some instances, crews must be dispatched to clear lines and make them safe prior to re-energizing a circuit. This may take longer if crews are hampered by strong winds, heavy rain, lightning or flooding.

We understand outages are difficult on our customers. Our restoration crews are experts in getting the electricity back on.

Especially during weather-related outages, damage can be widespread and repairs may be complex. Our crews will always do their best to restore your electricity in a timely, safe and efficient manner.

This could happen for many reasons. You may be on different circuits, or you could have damage to the line, transformer, fuse or switch that serves your home, but not your neighbor's.

First, we attempt to re-energize major circuits serving several thousand customers each. Then we concentrate on restoring service to smaller clusters of customers and individuals.

When an outage occurs, our crews are dispatched as soon as possible. Especially during weather-related outages, damage can be widespread and repairs may be complex. Our crews will always do their best to restore your electricity in a timely, safe and efficient manner, but we don't always know how long it will take.

Usually, trees are the culprit. If you live in older neighborhoods with big trees, you’re more likely to experience big outages as well as momentary interruptions in service.

Customers can call City of Lubbock Utilities at 806-775-2509 to report trees that are coming into contact with power lines, and we can send a crew to trim the trees.

Load shedding, or controlled customer outage, is a protection plan in place for all electric grid operators, including those that serve other regions of the United States.

During a power emergency when electric supply within ERCOT or SPP cannot meet the consumer demand for electricity and all other operational tools have been exhausted, the demand for electricity must be reduced to avoid uncontrolled blackouts.

These actions are critical for ensuring the integrity of the state’s electric grid and preventing a system-wide blackout, which could be long-lasting and have significant impact on all aspects of life.

Learn More about LP&L's Load Shedding Procedures