Utilities Kingston asks residents to know their provider, call in emergencies

It’s important to know who your electricity provider is in order to properly report outages and emergency situations. In Kingston there are three potential providers, and Utilities Kingston request residents determine which one is responsible for the power in their area.

The utility company also wants residents to know they should not use email or social media to report potentially life-threatening emergencies, according to a release from Utilities Kingston, dated Monday, Nov. 23, 2020.

“This is about making the right call. We proudly serve customers in our distribution area, but there are parts of Kingston that are served by other utility providers. It’s important to know your provider and to know who to call in case of a utility emergency,” says Jim Keech, president and CEO of Utilities Kingston.  “We want to help people understand how to identify a utility issue, and that our 24-hour emergency phone line is the safest way to report it, in our area.”

Who provides your electricity?

Kingston is primarily served by two electricity providers – Utilities Kingston and Hydro One. A small number of homes and businesses in Kingston East and north of the 401 receive their services from Eastern Ontario Power, according to the release.

In the event of a power outage or electrical emergency:

• Utilities Kingston customers – check https://UtilitiesKingston.com/Outages or call 613-546-1181 anytime.
• Hydro One customers – check www.hydroone.com/StormCenter or call 1-800-434-1235.
• Eastern Ontario Power customers – call 1-844-601-9473.

To see if you are in Utilities Kingston’s service area, use the address look-up at https://utilitieskingston.com/MultiUtility/ServiceAreas. Utilities Kingston’s electricity customers are in Central Kingston, Barriefield and CFB Kingston.

If you are not in Utilities Kingston’s area, check your electricity bill or view a map of electricity service areas in Kingston, available from the Utilities Kingston website.

Always call to report a utility emergency

Utility issues could create a serious safety hazard. Utilities Kingston asks residents to always call – and never email or use social media – to report a utility emergency: 

• If you see a downed power line or other life-threatening situation, call your electricity provider’s emergency line or 9-1-1.
• Tree branches on power lines, open utility boxes and damaged hydro poles could all create serious safety risks and should be immediately reported. Call the electricity provider for your area. (See above for a list of who to call.)

Learn how to prepare for – and prevent – utility issues and emergencies at https://UtilitiesKingston.com/.