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Power Outage Frequently Asked Questions

1. How do I report an outage?
The TXU Energy toll-free telephone number for outage reporting is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Customers should report any outages by calling 1-800-233-2133. Spanish-speaking customer service representatives are available. TXU Energy will immediately report power outage calls on behalf of our customers to local utilities.

2. How is power restored in my area after a storm? Who gets power restored first?
TXU Energy works with your Transmission and Service Distribution Provider (TDSP) to notify them of the outages. They will work to restore power to the greatest number of people in the shortest amount of time.

  • They will restore large transmission lines and then they will make sure all substations are working. If these two facilities are not working, power cannot be delivered to your area. 

  • Emergency services centers, hospitals, life support facilities, communications centers, water treatment facilities and other critical customers will be restored next. Power lines that serve large numbers of customers are then restored followed by neighborhoods. 

  • Transformers and service lines to individual homes and businesses are restored last because repairs to these facilities can be time consuming and result in the fewest number of people with service restored. 

  • Your TDSP will be working diligently to restore the power to all affected customers regardless of your Retail Electric Provider.

    3. If I am with TXU Energy, will my power be restored after someone who is served by another provider?
    No.  It doesn't matter who your Retail Electric Provider is in terms of how quickly your power will be restored.  Texas law prohibits TDSPs from showing preferential treatment to customers of any particular Retail Electric Provider.

    4. Why are my neighbor's lights on and mine aren't?
    You may be served by a different power circuit or power line than your neighbor. A separate transformer may also serve you. If you are on the same transformer, problems could involve your service line or your breaker. 

    5. Why is there a power outage in my area when the storm didn't hit here?
    Power lines or other facilities that deliver power to your area may be located miles away from you and may have been damaged by the storm, even if your specific location was not.  If a major circuit is down, all customers will be impacted until your TDSP can redirect power through alternate circuits if available.

    6. Is it safe to return to my house?
    We are unable to provide you with that information. Please consult your local authorities or listen to the radio and TV for safety updates about your area.  If dangerous conditions exist due to downed electricity lines, local authorities will provide safety updates.

    7. Will my payment get to TXU Energy?
    Yes. Unless the U.S. Postal Service is not operating, which is highly unlikely, TXU Energy's mail processing and payment remittance centers will be operating as usual.

    8. What happens if I can't get to my bank?
    Payments can be made online or by telephone through TXU Energy Express Pay. Your TDSP will do everything they can to have the power restored as quickly as possible. We appreciate your patience.

    9. How does anyone know that I am on life support?
    If you applied and were accepted to have your account coded as Life Support, our system will reflect that information. Therefore, the Power Outage Report that is sent to your TDSP displays a special message.  Your TDSP also has a record of your status because they certified your eligibility to become a Life Support customer.

    10. Why is TXU Energy providing an Estimated Time of Restoration?
    As part of our commitment to provide exceptional customer service, TXU Energy wants to provide additional information during outage situations.   When you call the TXU Energy Outage Hotline during non-storm situations, you may receive an estimated time of restoration from the local utility.  However, during major events such as a hurricane, this service is not provided due to the difficulty of assessing damage.  Our system uses sophisticated software to identify your electric service account automatically by the phone number you call in from or by information you provide. Once the service address is verified, a service order is immediately initiated with the local utility electronically, so that their personnel in the field can respond and restore your power as quickly as possible.  The advanced technology used by the hotline allows it to process many calls simultaneously. 
     
    11. How is the Estimated Time of Restoration determined? 

    • Oncor Electric Delivery territory:  As calls for power outages are received, a computer program analyzes the locations of the customers' premises and determines the type and location of the electrical equipment serving the affected area. After the program determines the type of equipment serving the affected area, it retrieves the estimated time of restoration based on historical repair times for that specific type of equipment. TXU Energy uses innovative technology to retrieve this information from the local utility in order to provide the time to customers who call in and are served by this piece of equipment.

    • CenterPoint territory: CenterPoint crews electronically communicate an estimated time of restoration from their vehicles to their outage management system, once they visit the site and assess the complexity of the restoration.  This information is then communicated to TXU Energy during the call made by the customer care representatives, when it is available.

    12. Can I get an updated Estimated Time of Restoration if it changes?
    Yes. Once a service crew investigates the outage, the local utility updates the repair time. This information is communicated periodically to our systems by the local utility so callers who report the outage with TXU Energy will have a more current restoration time. Customers who received the original estimated time of restoration would need to call back to receive the updated restoration time. Because the original estimates are only reasonably accurate, we recommend calling back only if you are still out of power after the original estimated time of restoration has passed.  We also recommend you call back if your original estimated time of restoration is not met so that TXU Energy can determine if any updates are available from the local utility.
     
    13. Why can I not get an Estimated Time of Restoration during storm situations?
    When there has been a widespread outage or storm, it may take longer for the local utility to make the needed repairs. Their crews will continue to work until all power is restored. Therefore, they are not able to commit to generating estimated times of restoration and related updates.  Their goal is to restore power as soon as possible.
     
    14. How is getting an estimated time of restoration from TXU Energy any different from any other provider?
    TXU Energy is not aware of any other Texas retail electric providers proactively providing an estimated time of restoration from the local utility.  In most cases, the customer is asked to call the local utility in order to obtain such information.