EDMONTON – Whether it’s due to Mother Nature, or equipment failure – losing electricity this time of the year can be nerve-wrackin, as residents in northeast Edmonton found out first-hand Sunday evening.
While they only had to deal with the outage for one to two hours, hundreds of thousands of people in Ontario were told Sunday that they can expect to be without power for at least 72 hours.
So what do you do if you ever find yourself in that situation?
The first tip would be to have an emergency kit that readily available.
READ MORE: How to keep your smartphone charged and other tips during a power outage
Another piece of advice?
“It is a good idea to open your tap every once in a while and let the water run. That will prevent the pipes from freezing,” explains Tim LeRiche from EPCOR.
Stand-by generators offer a solution to extended power outages. The units start at $2,500 and differ from portable units, which are not recommended for home-use because of their limited capacity.
“Having a second source is a good idea, but you got to obey all safety rules,” said LeRiche.
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Bob Stielow from the Power Equipment Centre says that since a stand-by generator needs to be plumbed to gas, it needs to be installed by a qualified electrician.
You may also want to check with your insurance company’s policies to make sure you don’t impact your coverage.
Visit EPCOR’s website for more tips on what to do during a power outage.
With files from Vinesh Pratap, Global News
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