Frequently Asked Questions

Power Outage Today is an independent, community-driven power outage tracker for the United States. People report outages and restorations for their ZIP code, and everyone can see live status, recent reports and outage history, plus their utility's outage number and local emergency numbers.

Type your 5-digit ZIP code or city in the search box, or tap the location button. The ZIP page shows the current status, a confidence score, every report from the last 24 hours and your electric utility's outage line and map.

First check your breaker panel. Then report the outage to your electric utility (the number is on your ZIP page and your bill) – utilities restore power based on customer reports. Also tap “Power is out” on your ZIP page so neighbors know, and “Power is back” when it returns.

Call 911 and then your electric utility. Stay at least 35 feet away and assume every downed line is live – never touch it or anything it is touching, including water or a car.

No. Reporting is anonymous. We do not ask for your name, phone number or street address. See the Privacy Policy for details.

The status reflects what people have reported recently. Reports from more people on different networks, and more recent reports, give a higher confidence score. Reports can be incomplete or wrong, so treat them as signals, not official utility data.

If nobody reports “Power is back” and there are no new outage reports for 24 hours, the outage is closed automatically. A new outage report reopens it straight away.

No. It only means no one has reported recently. Coverage depends on people in your area using the service.

No. Power Outage Today is not affiliated with any electric utility or government agency. For outage reports, restoration times and safety issues, contact your utility directly.

Open your ZIP code page: it lists the utilities that serve that ZIP code according to U.S. Department of Energy (NREL) data, with their outage numbers. In areas served by more than one company, check the name on your electric bill.

In most of Texas you buy electricity from a retail provider, but outages are handled by your local wires company: Oncor, CenterPoint Energy, AEP Texas or TNMP. Their numbers are on every Texas ZIP page. Co-op and city-utility customers call their co-op or city utility.

911 for life-threatening emergencies, downed lines, fires and carbon monoxide; 211 for shelters, cooling and warming centers and bill assistance; 988 for mental health crises; Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222. See the Emergency numbers page for your state's agencies.

Only outdoors, at least 20 feet from doors, windows and vents, and never in a garage, even with the door open. Install battery-powered carbon monoxide alarms. Never plug a generator into a wall outlet (backfeeding) – it can kill utility workers.

They give estimates based on average residential rates. Your actual bill depends on your utility's rate plan, time-of-use pricing, fixed charges, riders and taxes.

To keep the data clean, each device can report the same ZIP code once every few minutes.

Use the contact form (link in the footer) for questions, bug reports, corrections to a phone number, or partnership enquiries.