How Power is Restored

Westar's goal is to restore service to the largest number of customers as quickly as possible. Restoration is done systematically in the following order (many processes occur simultaneously):

• As outage reports are received, troubleshooters are sent to investigate and report back the cause of outage and exactly where damage occurred. This is why you may see a Westar truck come into and leave your neighborhood without power being restored. Using this information, work is prioritized.


• Priority is given to public safety situations such as de-energizing downed lines and critical facilities such as hospitals, police and fire stations and water treatment plants.


• Transmission lines and distribution substations are repaired first. These lines carry power from generating plants to a large number of customers that cover a wide service area.


• Major feeder lines that support large subdivisions, industries and businesses.


• Primary and secondary lines that deliver electricity to smaller neighborhoods and businesses.


• Transformers and service lines that serve small groups of customers and single services. See illustration below for details.

Power Restoration

• Before restoration begins, crews make sure that power is no longer flowing through downed lines. This prevents injury and the potential for electric shock or possibility for fires.


• Crews then begin restoring power, removing all hazards, such as tree limbs or other objects that are touching lines. Many times, tree trimming crews must remove vegetation before power can be restored.


• During a storm it is common for a tree branch to come down and pull the meter can away from your home or business. The meter can must be reattached by a licensed electrician before we can restore service. View customer responsibilities.