When Your Power Comes Back On

When the Power is Back On
You made it. Coming through an emergency gives us all a sense of satisfaction. More than that, most of us have had the wonderful experience of seeing friends, neighbors, even strangers come together to help in any way they can. We also discover what a powerful force for comfort and convenience that electricity is in our everyday lives. Nice to have it back, isn't it?

Appliances
You will be anxious to get appliances up and running, but take it easy. If everybody switched on the air conditioning or heating systems at once, the power lines could be overloaded, causing another outage.
Heat Pumps
In winter, don't reset the thermostat to the "ON" position as soon as the power comes back on because the electric heat pump performs its job by circulating a refrigerant gas.
When the power has been off for a while, the unit's refrigerant cools and changes to a liquid, which tends to collect in the compressor. If the unit is put into operation in this state, possible mechanical damage can result.

Follow this rule after a power outage in the winter: If the power has been off more than three hours, place the system switch in the emergency heat position. This will quickly bring your home to a normal temperature. Leave the switch in the emergency heat position for 24 hours.

At the end of 24 hours, set the thermostat for heat pump operation. This will restart your unit in the heat pump mode.

If you are using a generator to supply power to your home or business do not plug your generator into a household outlet. Power may backfeed and injure MED crews working to restore power in your neighborhood.

What To Do If Your Power Goes Out

Your Power-Outage Emergency Kit