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Energy Efficiency

Energy Efficiency

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Experiencing an outage? Learn about emergency preparedness.
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Looking at generators for when the lights go out?

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Tree Trimming

Protecting Your Trees. Protecting Yourself.

Trees growing too close to power lines can cause damage and interrupt service to you and your neighbors.

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Electrical Safety

We all enjoy the convenience and productivity which electrical service brings to our homes, schools and businesses. Having harnessed the strength of electricity, we sometimes tend to be complacent about its magnificent power. If not respected, however, electricity can become a killer.

Electrical Power Safety Tips

  • Look up and live.

  • Consider any overhead or underground line dangerous.

  • Keep objects at least 10 feet away from power lines. (In areas where equipment such as augers and booms will be operating, inspect for possible interference with overhead lines.)

  • Be especially careful of clearance when handling irrigation pipe or antennas.

  • Do not fly kites in areas near power lines.

  • Do not attempt to raise or move overhead or underground electric lines.

  • Never touch a downed or exposed line – it may be energized.

  • Report any situation that appears unsafe.

  • Call before you dig, 811.

Reporting Dangerous Conditions

It's CVEC's job to maintain the power system to provide safe, reliable service. You can help by reporting power line conditions that need attention, such as:

  • Broken or leaning poles

  • Broken or sagging lines

  • Trees growing into lines

  • Broken insulators

  • Sparks coming from electrical wires or equipment

  • Excavation activity in areas where buried lines are likely to exist

  • Construction activity under power lines

If you are in a motor vehicle accident and power lines are touching the vehicle:  

  • Assume it's live.  Always assume that any downed lines are live and dangerous.  Do not attempt to touch or remove the wires and warn others to stay away.

  • Stay put.  Unless there is a secondary emergency, such as a fire, it is safer to stay inside the vehicle than trying to exit.

  • Call 9-1-1.  Let the dispatcher know that you were in an accident and you have a downed line on your vehicle.  The authorities will contact the power company and line workers will be sent to the scene to shut off power.

  • Warn others.  Witnesses may not notice the downed line and could be coming to help.  Warn them to stay at least 40 feet away.

If another emergency poses a greater threat, you may need to exit your vehicle.

If you must exit:  

  • Get yourself ready.  The goal is to avoid touching the car and the ground at the same time.  Remove any loose clothing, open your car door, step onto the metal frame of the car with your feet close together and tuck your hands and elbows into your chest.

  • Jump from the vehicle.  When jumping, keep your feet together.  This is more important than how far you jump.  If your feet are apart from each other, you could create a bridge, allowing electricity to run through you.  Jump as far as you can from the vehicle without jeopardizing your stance.

  • Shuffle or hop to safety.  Don't become a circuit!  Shuffle your feet in slow short strides always maintaining contact with the ground or hop with feet together until you are at least 40 feet away from the downed wire.

 

Portable Generators

Tree Trimming Services

 

Electricity 101

For more safety tips, visit the Powering Your Safety website.

How Shock Happens

Electricity always seeks the shortest path to the ground. It seeks to find a conductor to travel through, such as metal, wet wood, water, or even your body! Your body is 70% water. So if you touch an energized bare wire or faulty appliance while you are grounded, electricity will instantly pass through you to the ground, causing a harmful or fatal shock.

It Doesn't Take Much

The amount of electricity used by one 7.5 watt Christmas tree bulb can kill you in a fraction of a second if it passes through your chest. Even if it isn't fatal, electrical shock can easily cause serious falls, burns, cuts or internal bleeding.

Your Home Wiring

Your home wiring is just a number of loops, or circuits. A "live" wire brings current to a light or an outlet. A "neutral" wire returns current to its source. Between inside wiring and outside power lines is a service panel.

Your Service Panel

Your service panel contains fuses or circuit breakers which interrupt power to specific circuits in case of a short circuit or overload. If this happens:

  1. Unplug appliances.
  2. Switch off power at the main switch.
  3. Replace the fuse that has a broken metal strip with a new fuse of the same rating, typical 15 amperes.
  4. If you have circuit breakers instead, switch the one that's "off" to "on."
  5. Try to determine the cause of the problem.
  6. Restore power. Never put a penny or aluminum foil in a fuse box to replace a fuse, as you could cause a fire.
Electrical Appliances

Remember the most important rule for home appliances, electricity and water don't mix. Keep appliances, especially hair dryers, away from bathtubs, puddles, sinks and wet hands. Unplug an appliance before cleaning even if it's off, it can shock, and wet skin decreases your resistance to electricity significantly. Never put metal objects in live parts of appliances or in outlets. If an appliance overheats, unplug it and have it checked. Use only electrical equipment that is approved by a recognized testing laboratory, such as Underwriters Laboratories.

Prevent Electrical Fires

Light bulbs can reach temperatures of up to 300 degrees for a 100-watt bulb. Keep anything that will burn away from light bulbs, portable heaters, or toasters. Turn off heating and cooking appliances before leaving home. Don't overload outlets. If you must use an extension cord temporarily, match amperage and wattage limits marked on the cord and appliance to avoid a fire hazard.

Be Prepared for Storms!

Concho Valley Electric Cooperative works year-round to be prepared to respond quickly when severe weather — such as an ice storm or tornado — affects the flow of power to you.

Our crews prepare to mobilize when severe weather is predicted. Service trucks are stocked and ready to roll, so that crews can quickly respond should power outages occur.

Storm Center
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Location

Concho Valley Electric Cooperative
2530 Pulliam Street
P.O. Box 3388
San Angelo, TX 76902-3388

Phone: 325-655-6957
Fax: 325-655-6950

Office Hours

Monday - Friday 
8:00 am - 5:00pm
 
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  • Home
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    • Electric
      • New Service
      • My Account
      • Deposit Information
      • Rates
      • Average Payment Plan
      • Outage Reporting
      • General Questions
      • Outage FAQs
    • Internet
      • Preregisteration
      • Plans & Pricing
      • Fiber Internet FAQs
      • Fiber Construction FAQs
      • Commercial Internet FAQs
      • Fiber Installation Steps
      • CommandIQ Mobile App
    • Renewable Generation
      • Community Solar
      • Solar & Wind Systems
      • Solar Rates
      • Community Solar FAQs
      • Solar & Wind Systems FAQs
  • Community
    • AirMedCare Network
    • Co-op Connections
    • CVEC Scholarship
    • Educational Demonstrations
    • GSEC Scholarship
    • Texas Co-op Power
    • Trucks & Treats
    • Youth Tour
  • Energy & Safety
    • Electrical Safety
    • Energy Efficiency
    • High Bill Concerns
    • Storm Center
    • Value Incentive Plan V.I.P.
    • Technology
      • Electric Vehicles
      • Portable Electric Generators
      • Standby Generators
  • My Cooperative
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  • Contact Us