FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (January 4, 2024)—Southwestern Electric Power Co. is prepared for two back-to-back rounds of winter weather on the western edge of Arkansas and urges customers to be ready as well. A winter weather advisory has been issued for Benton, Carroll, Washington, Madison, Crawford and Franklin Counties for Friday. The next winter system is expected early next week.
“The first system looks to be mostly snow, but next week could start as rain. Freezing rain, ice and snow can cause problems for the electrical system. The weight of the frozen precipitation can bring down trees and power lines,” said Todd Hopwood, SWEPCO Distribution System Manager for the Fayetteville District. “We are monitoring the winter weather, getting our crews ready and making sure our vehicles are ready too. Hazardous road conditions can make it difficult to access certain areas for repairs. Restoring power as safely and as quickly as possible is always our goal in the event of an outage,” said Hopwood.
Customer preparations
SWEPCO urges customers to be prepared for winter weather.
- Plan ahead:
- Develop a plan for you and your family. Decide now what you'll do if there's an extended power outage.
- If you or a family member relies on uninterrupted electric service for health reasons, plan now in case there are extended outages.
- Make sure your contact information is current with family, friends and others.
- Stay connected, report outages and check power restoration status:
- What to do before, during and after the storm:
- Be safe:
- All downed lines should be considered dangerous, as they can carry an electric current that can cause serious or even fatal injuries. If you see a fallen wire, stay away and keep others away, including children and pets. Call SWEPCO at 1-888-218-3919 or 911 immediately.
- Always use caution with any alternate sources of lighting, cooking, cooling or heating. Never operate lanterns, heaters, generators, fuel-fired stoves or burn charcoal without proper ventilation to avoid carbon monoxide poisoning and fires.
- Portable generator safety – If you use a portable or RV generator, do not plug the generator into your home's main electrical panel. This can "back-feed" electricity into outside utility lines, creating the danger of electrocution for repair crews and the public. Instead, read the manufacturer's instructions, and only plug essential appliances directly into the generator.
- Be careful when driving or walking near all utility work zones.
Winter energy-saving tips
- Lower your thermostat setting. Start at 68 degrees, as comfort permits.
- Keep filters clean. Dirty filters cause heating equipment to work harder and use more energy.
- Close the gaps. Weatherstrip around doors, windows and other parts of the house.
- Have your HVAC system inspected.
- Inspect the attic. Check insulation, including around ducts.
- Check the fireplace, Close the damper tightly when not in use.
- Set fans to clockwise (opposite of summer) to move warm air to the rest of the room.
- Open curtains and blinds on the sunny side of the house; keep closed on the shady side.
About Southwestern Electric Power Co. (SWEPCO)
We deliver safe, reliable and affordable power to more than half a million homes and businesses in Arkansas, Louisiana and Texas. Our 1,400 employees power today’s necessities and inspire tomorrow’s possibilities. You’ll see us improving communities, promoting sustainability and building grid resiliency throughout our territory, spanning more than 25,000 distribution line miles. Our work in energy efficiency has been repeatedly recognized by the U.S. Department of Energy, which honored us as an ENERGY STAR® 2023 Partner of the Year for Sustained Excellence. We recognize that innovative approaches to workforce development are necessary to effectively recruit qualified, diverse talent in today’s competitive labor market and this includes a commitment to building a diverse and skilled workforce through partnerships to grow the talent pipeline. We’re proud to be named Texas Workforce Commission’s 2023 Employer of Excellence and to receive the 2023 Curt Eysink Excellence in Workplace Development award from the Louisiana Community and Technical College System. Because we produce and deliver one of the most powerful forces on earth, we keep the safety and well-being of our customers and employees at the forefront, always. We are proud of the Million Work Hours Safety Award from the Arkansas Department of Labor Licensing and Arkansas Workers' Compensation Commission on behalf of our Flint Creek Power Plant for working 4 million hours without a lost-time accident. We believe we can deliver reliable electricity while protecting the environment. Our work to support habitat conservation was recently recognized by the Wildlife Habitat Council Conservation (WHC) who awarded us a Silver Certification for supporting sustainable ecosystems at our Eagle Watch Nature Trail. SWEPCO is an American Electric Power (Nasdaq: AEP) company. SWEPCO’s headquarters are in Shreveport, LA. News releases and other information about SWEPCO can be found at SWEPCO.com. Connect with us by following Facebook.com/SWEPCO, Twitter.com/SWEPCOnews, Instagram.com/swepco, Youtube.com/SWEPCOtv and LinkedIn.com/company/swepco.
About American Electric Power (AEP)
At American Electric Power, based in Columbus, Ohio, we understand that our customers and communities depend on safe, reliable and affordable power. Our nearly 17,000 employees operate and maintain more than 40,000 miles of transmission lines, the nation's largest electric transmission system, and more than 225,000 miles of distribution lines to deliver power to 5.6 million customers in 11 states. AEP also is one of the nation's largest electricity producers with nearly 29,000 megawatts of diverse generating capacity, including approximately 6,100 megawatts of renewable energy. AEP is investing $43 billion over the next five years to make the electric grid cleaner and more reliable. We are on track to reach an 80% reduction in carbon dioxide emissions from 2005 levels by 2030 and have a goal to achieve net zero by 2045. AEP is recognized consistently for its focus on sustainability, community engagement and inclusion. AEP's family of companies includes utilities AEP Ohio, AEP Texas, Appalachian Power (in Virginia and West Virginia), AEP Appalachian Power (in Tennessee), Indiana Michigan Power, Kentucky Power, Public Service Company of Oklahoma, and Southwestern Electric Power Company (in Arkansas, Louisiana, east Texas and the Texas Panhandle). AEP also owns AEP Energy, which provides innovative competitive energy solutions nationwide. For more information, visit aep.com.