How We Restore Power
Austin Energy Staff Stay Ready 24/7
Austin Energy has crews on standby 24/7 to respond immediately to power outages, and we repair most routine outages within a short period of time.
Our lineworkers are well-trained and highly skilled. In fact, they’re some of the best in Texas, ready to serve the community whenever they are needed.
It’s Not Just a Flip of a Switch
Especially after severe weather or major events, outages can be complex and require crews to work through challenging conditions to locate, assess, coordinate and repair each issue on the system. Austin Energy has a phased restoration approach to prioritize our efforts and get power back as quickly and safely as possible.
Phase 1
Restoring power to critical life-safety service and circuits.
- Repairing a circuit may restore power to thousands at a time.
- Life-safety services include hospitals, public safety, water and communications.
- Damage assessment in this phase provides a clearer picture of the overall situation.
Phase 2
Restoring outages affecting the largest number of customers.
- Repairs could restore hundreds of customers at a time.
- Gets more residents back online faster.
Phase 3
Restoring the remaining small outages.
- Complex, time-consuming issues affecting a small number of customers.
- Progress may seem slow because repairs only restore one to two customers at a time.
How We Restore Power
- Phase 1 — Repairing transmission, substation and main distribution circuit equipment. This is the backbone of the system. These repairs could include downed wire, broken poles, trees on power lines and damaged substation transformers and circuit breakers.
- Phase 2 — Working on the branch distribution lines and equipment, which carry power from the substation to your neighborhood or community. These repairs could include downed wire, broken poles, damaged transformers, trees on power lines and open fuses and switches.
- Phase 3 — Repairing the service line that carries power from the transformer to your electric meter.
Download How We Restore Power (pdf)
Multiple Crews Work to Repair Major Outages
During severe weather like major thunderstorms and freezing rain, it is not uncommon to have widespread power outages and several hundred repair locations. Austin Energy sends multiple crews out to make repairs, but the crews must drive to each location to work as safely, quickly, and efficiently as possible. We place the highest priority on the safety of our crews and our customers, and it can take multiple hours or even days to restore power to all customers.
We Provide an Estimated Time of Restoration
Once Austin Energy fully assesses the outage, we provide an estimated time of restoration. Outage conditions are posted on the Austin Energy Outage Map. Customers signed up to receive Outage Alerts will have updates texted to them via their mobile device.
During a large or complex outage event, Austin Energy may suspend providing an estimated time of restoration until damage can be safely assessed.
The Estimated Time of Restoration Can Change
As the situation evolves and the extent of the damage becomes clearer, the estimated time of power restoration can change. We make every effort to arrive at a realistic estimated restoration time based on the availability of our lineworkers, the extent of the damage, and the safety of our employees and customers.
If you have more questions, we may have them covered on our FAQ page.
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Date last reviewed or modified: 01/23/2026