News > Every Call. Every Climb. Powered by Purpose.

Every Call. Every Climb. Powered by Purpose.

June 24, 2026

Stearns Electric works diligently to maintain a safe and reliable distribution system. However, outages happen, and when they do, we are here for you 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Providing reliable energy is more than our mission. It’s our purpose.

It’s 2:47 a.m. when the fan cuts out waking you from your sleep. You notice the fan kick back on momentarily, but then it goes off again and your house is completely quiet. You grab your cell phone, open your SmartHub app and report your outage. 

It’s now 2:57 a.m. and the phone rings, awakening someone from a deep sleep. It’s the after-hours call center dispatching the on-call lineman to an outage. The lineman powers on his iPad, reviews the outage map and determines the extent of the outage. The lineman then contacts his crew, quietly tells his loved ones goodbye, dons his specialty clothing, grabs his keys and a snack, and heads to the office.

OUTAGE RESTORATION
There are a variety of circumstances which can lead to power outages beyond our control. Some of the most common causes of power outages include severe weather, trees, animals and vehicle accidents.

“When an outage happens, it’s important that you report it to us at the Cooperative,” Melissa Welle, Engineering and Operations Support Supervisor, said. “Day or night, reporting your outage is the fastest way for us to identify the outage cause, resolve the problem and safely restore your power.”

Our line crews are ready to respond at any time, day or night. They rotate after-hours and weekend on-call shifts throughout the year.

“All of our linemen are required to live within a 15-mile radius of their designated office,” Manager of Operations Glenn Blommel explained. “This helps ensure our outage response is as efficient and timely as possible.”

When it comes to outage restoration, our linemen and outage support teams make the most crucial repairs and restore power to the largest number of members first.

“Our first priority is safety for our line crews and the general public,” Blommel said. “Downed power lines and other reported hazards become a priority for quick response.”

After that, crews focus on, in order:

• Substation outages – replacing a fuse or transformer often restores power to several hundred or even thousands of members immediately.
• Major distribution feeders – these lines carry electricity out of our substations. Outages at this level usually impact several hundred members at one time.
• Tap lines – these are the power lines that carry electricity to a group of homes. Outages at this level usually impact a hundred people or less at one time.
• Individual service lines – these are the power lines that carry electricity directly to the meter on your property.^ Outages at this level usually only impact one member.

^{^}The Cooperative is responsible for getting electricity to your meter. However, the mast on the house (the pipe in which the wires run down to the meter panel) is your responsibility.

One important thing to know is not every outage is the same.

“While at times it may seem like a long wait for your power to be restored, our crews are trained to follow specific safety measures to protect themselves, the public and infrastructure before they can reenergize the power lines,” Blommel said. “Occasionally, crews must remove a fallen tree from the power lines before restoration work can even begin. Sometimes crews have to patrol the line slowly for a few miles to find the cause of the outage. When a power pole needs to be replaced, that takes additional time.”

4 WAYS TO REPORT YOUR OUTAGE
Members can report a power outage one of four ways. We recommend using SmartHub for convenience and speed, but any of these options work:

1. SmartHub App
   Download the SmartHub App to report your outage with a press of a button on your smart phone or tablet. 
2. Online using SmartHub
   You can also access your SmartHub account via an internet browser to report your outage.
3. By Phone
   Call (800) 962-0655 to report your outage anytime.
4. By Text
   Text OUT to (855) 939-3705.*

*Please note: In order to use text messaging to report an outage, you must have a SmartHub account AND text messaging must be enabled in the notification section. Additionally, only one account number can be tied to your mobile phone number.

We know power outages are inconvenient and disruptive. Our employees live and work in the same communities we serve, and they are committed to restoring power safely and as efficiently as possible, day or night.