United Power members who rely on medical devices in their homes may be more greatly impacted by extended outages, like the ones we experienced on Thursday due to dense snow and high winds. Although we make every effort to quickly and safely restore power, we cannot provide a specific time frame for when your power will be restored. The cooperative encourages members who require electricity to power their medical devices to develop a comprehensive backup plan in the event an outage extends beyond their battery’s supply limits.
As your cooperative, we make every effort to provide reliable power. Our line crews have performed system improvements that have resulted in increased reliability rates year over year. However, there are numerous reasons your home could be impacted by a prolonged power outage, and we want to remind you to consider how to care for yourself or a loved one in such an event.
We encourage members who are dependent on electrically powered medical devices in their homes to consider their needs before an outage occurs. Registering with United Power places a “medical alert flag” on your account, allowing us to contact you in the event of an outage. This alert flag, however, does not guarantee we will be able to restore your power as quickly as you might need. Something to consider is an alternative source of energy, such as extra batteries or a backup generator. You should also contact your medical provider to determine other supplies you should keep on hand for emergencies, such as supplemental oxygen.
United Power recommends having an evacuation plan for worst case scenarios during significant weather events. Depending on your battery backup’s supply limits, having a plan in place to move to an alternate location is encouraged.
You can also help United Power by immediately reporting an outage or other electrical emergency. Don’t assume we are aware of your outage. To report an outage, log into your online account at www.unitedpower.com/smarthub or by calling our outage reporting line at 303-637-1350.
More information related to medically necessary devices can be found online at our Medical Devices page.