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Outage Maps
- What does the outage cause “Equipment Upgrade” mean in the outage summary box?
  Oncor works year-round upgrading equipment and installing new technology that helps improve the service we provide our customers. When possible, we try to alleviate any customer inconvenience by working with “energized” equipment to minimize any power interruptions during repairs or installation of new equipment. However, some repairs may require a temporary power outage to provide a safe working environment for our employees. These outage causes are listed as “Equipment Upgrade” in the outage summary box.
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- What does the outage cause “Vehicle” mean in the outage summary box?
  Vehicle accidents involving electrical equipment can cause outages. Often, this occurs when an automobile hits a distribution pole, sometimes resulting in a downed power line. An outage may occur automatically, or we may temporarily disconnect power while emergency workers respond to the crash and our crews work to repair damage.
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- What does the outage cause “Vegetation/Wildlife” mean in the outage summary box?
  Outages are commonly caused by interference by trees or animals. Trees planted near power lines are one cause of outages, as tree branches and limbs can sway into power lines and electrical equipment. Even brief contact with vegetation or wildlife can cause an outage. This is common during major storms as tree limbs blow into power lines and can cause outages. While we use many environmentally safe deterrents to keep wildlife like squirrels and birds away from our equipment, sometimes contact with animals can also cause outages.
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- What does the outage cause “Weather/Natural Disaster” mean in the outage summary box?
  As most of Oncor’s equipment is outdoors and exposed to the elements, most outages are caused by weather events, especially from lightning, rain, ice, and high winds. A “Weather/Natural Disaster” cause can be the result of lightning, storms, wind, rain, flooding, snow, ice, or even fire.
  
  -Pam W., Oncor Call Center Expert
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- What does the outage cause “Under Investigation” mean in the outage summary box?
  While the cause of an outage may be obvious, like a thunderstorm, sometimes outage causes need to be investigated by our crews working to restore power. Our first priority is to restore your power as quickly and safely as possible. If the cause becomes apparent while making repairs, we will update the outage information online. If the outage can be restored quickly, we'll restore power and update the reason later. This could mean some outages on the map may go from "Under Investigation" to restored without a reason for the outage ever being listed online. If you have a question about a specific outage that occurred at your home or business, you can ask us about it by using the “Ask a Question” box on this page and our Ask Oncor team will find an answer for you within two business days.
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- What does the “Cause” field in the outage information box mean?
  The cause field explains the reason (if known) for an outage. The most common causes of power outages are weather, trees, wildlife, and car accidents. Causes can be listed as under investigation, weather/natural disaster, vegetation/wildlife, vehicle, equipment upgrade, equipment failure, underground failure, endpoint failure, testing, or load shed.
  Please see other questions in this FAQ for information about each outage cause.
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- I don’t see an outage symbol over my home. Where’s my outage?
  While looking at the map, you may not find an outage indicated directly over your home or business when you are without power. One outage event may affect multiple homes or businesses. The map places the outage symbol near the location of electrical equipment where the outage originates. For example, if multiple customers in the same neighborhood call in to report an outage, we will indicate an outage near that neighborhood. We will not show specific homes and businesses without power for the safety of your home or business.
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- Is the outage map mobile friendly?
  Yes, the outage map is mobile friendly and works with most iPhone, Android and BlackBerry devices. Supported mobile browsers include:
  
  • Apple 3GS/4.0 iPhone Browser
  
  • Google Android 2.X Browser
  
  • Research in Motion (RIM) BlackBerry 6.0 Browser
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- What does “Latest Estimated Restoration” mean? I see it in the summary tables by ZIP Code and county and when I hover over the outage on the map.
  
  Based on the information available during an outage event, the latest estimated restoration is the latest time we think all homes and businesses will receive power in the ZIP Code or county in the table or the group of outages represented on the map. When viewing in the map, please zoom in on outages to see specific information for each outage. Please note that if an estimated restoration time is not yet available for your outage in place of a time you will see the latest estimated restoration time as being “Assessing Condition”.
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- How can I access the outage map? What browsers are supported?
  
  You can access the outage map from your computer or many smart devices. As of March 2012, the supported browsers for this outage map are:
  
  Desktop Browsers:
  
  • Internet Explorer 7.0, 8.0, and 9.0 on PC
  
  • Firefox 3.6 and 4.0 on PC / Mac
  
  • Google Chrome on PC
  
  • Safari 5 on Mac
  
  Mobile Browsers:
  
  • Apple 3GS/4.0 iPhone Browser
  
  • Google Android 2.X Browser
  
  • Research in Motion (RIM) BlackBerry 6.0 Browser
  
  Please note that other browsers may also work with the outage map, but we do not ensure their functionality.
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- Is there a way to see storms and weather patterns on the map?
  Yes, you can see weather systems moving through Oncor’s service territory on the outage map by clicking the weather tab on the left-hand side of the screen and making sure the weather box is checked. Weather information is provided to the outage map by WeatherBug. Weather and outages often go hand-in-hand, with weather being the leading cause of power outages. During inclement weather, outages usually follow the path of the storm, meaning outages will occur when and where a storm moves through and will be more concentrated in the areas hardest hit by bad weather.
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- Is the outage map in real-time? If not, how often does it update?
  Outage information is sent from Oncor to the online outage map every 15 minutes. During times of high traffic on the site, the map may take more time to refresh.
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- There is a date and time listed for my outage as “First Reported.” What does this mean?
  This is the date and time when we first learned of an outage, which may affect multiple homes and businesses. To report an outage, please call 888.313.4747.
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- What is the difference between “Customers Affected” and “Customers Served” in the summary tables?
  The number of customer homes or businesses affected by a particular outage is listed as the “Customers Affected.” In the summary table, “Customers Served” refers to the number of customer homes and businesses that are served in each county or ZIP Code. You can see how widespread an outage is by comparing the two numbers.
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- What does the outage cause “Load Shed” mean in the outage summary box?
  “Load Shed” refers to either planned outages for customers preregistered in our Commercial Load Management program or emergency rotating outages necessary to prevent an uncontrolled blackout of the electric grid.
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- I noticed that an outage on the map has “Testing” as a cause. What does that mean?
  Occasionally, we need to simulate outage data for training purposes. The cause code "Testing" on an icon on the outage map is not a real outage; no outage of which we are aware exists at this location. If you are experiencing an outage where you see the “Testing” cause, please report your outage to us by calling 888.313.4747.
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- What does the outage cause “Endpoint Failure” mean in the outage summary box?
  Not all electrical outages are a result of damage to Oncor’s equipment. Sometimes outages occur when the equipment you own as a home or business owner is damaged. We call this “Endpoint Failure.” This could be something like a blown fuse at a residence resulting in a transformer error or a downed service drop or line (the power line that connects your home to our equipment). You may also need to hire an electrician and/or have a city inspection conducted before we can restore service. Check your breakers to see if a fuse has blown and contact Oncor at 888.313.4747 if you have additional questions.
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- What does the outage cause “Underground Failure” mean in the outage summary box?
  Some of Oncor’s power lines and equipment are buried underground. Your outage will be listed as an “Underground Failure” if a piece of equipment or cable underground has stopped working. Occasionally, this happens when interference with the equipment has occurred, such as when the equipment is damaged by workers digging on a construction site. While we may be able to re-route power to get electricity to customers while we work the repairs, sometimes underground repairs take a while because the equipment is harder to access.
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- What does the outage cause “Equipment Failure” mean in the outage summary box?
  An “Equipment Failure” occurs when a piece of our electrical equipment, such as a transformer or a cable, stops working. Troubleshooters will identify the equipment that stopped working and, when possible, repair immediately. If additional equipment or support is needed, a crew will be called to bring in the additional equipment and restore power as quickly and as safely possible.
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- When my mouse hovers over a specific outage, an estimated restoration time is listed in the outage summary box. What does this mean?
  Based on the information available during an outage event, the estimated restoration time is when we think power will be restored.
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