SOUTHERN COLORADO — Across Southern Colorado, utility companies are preparing for the possibility of outages during the Spring Snow coming into the state.
“We know this winter weather will always be an issue," said Amber King, Communications Manager for CORE Electric Cooperative.
Colorado Springs Utilities says they'll have crews on standby 24/7 this week to address any outages as they could occur. Almost 75% of the city's power lines are underground, which helps keep the rate of power outages lower compared to cities that have mostly above-ground lines.
In Teller and Park County, CORE Electric serves around 375,000 people and is ready in case of an outage.
“We do staff up, we always have crews on hand 24/7, our control centers are manned 24/7, and we have all the necessary equipment that we need," said King.
Mountain View Electric Association will also have crews on standby for the Tri-Lakes area they serve. The Utility Company encourages people to prepare an "outage kit" that contains a battery-powered radio, fresh batteries, a flashlight, candles, matches, bottled water, canned food, and a can opener.
Black Hills Energy encourages people to check their natural gas meters before the snow hits.
“Instead of digging around your meter, go out there with a broom and brush it off gently so you don’t create any unintended consequences," said Tom Henley with Black Hills Energy.
He encourages people to lower the temperature on the thermostat to 68 degrees and to consider turning down their water heater.
"One of the other things people can do is lower your water heater temperature. Anything under 120 degrees on the water heater itself can save you about 10% on your bill," said Henley.
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