This Week at BC Hydro

Print This Page

RSS Feed

RSS Feeds

November 5, 2009

Businesses can use SLID to prepare for outages

Posted by Miranda Bryden

If you're a building or business owner, knowing what to do before, during and after a power outage is important for your safety and the safety of your tenants and staff. It’s also essential for your business assets, especially your valuable (and expensive) electronic equipment and systems.

When you call us to report a power outage, you will be prompted to enter your BC Hydro account number or unique site location ID (SLID). The SLID, which is pre-assigned, cannot be used to extract any account information – it is simply a reference to your location.

Post your SLID and make it available to tenants or employees who may be responsible for reporting an outage. You can determine your SLID number, and download and print customized posters by logging into your account  and selecting Outage Resources.

Things to remember

To report a power outage at your business, call 1 888 POWERON (1 888 769 3766) from your landline or *HYDRO (*49376) from any cell phone, or report it online. You can access updates on a power outages in your area, or, if you’re using a web-enabled cell phone or PDA, use bchydro.com/mobile.

Your cell phone keeps working

With your web-enabled cell phone or PDA, you can get instant information – no matter where you are. Just go to bchydro.com/mobile and select Outage Status to learn more about an outage, including estimated time of restoration and cause if known.

When the power is out, do you know what to do?

There are a number of simple, fast, low- or no-cost measures you can take to make sure your business is prepared for a power outage, such as supplying flashlights to each department in case of a power outage, or posting a diagram of your electrical system in your meter room so our workers can restore your power more quickly.

It also won’t take long for you to learn how to cope if the office suddenly goes dark:

• First, look next door and, if your neighbour's power is still on, check your fuses or circuit breakers,
• If it’s a BC Hydro outage, report it immediately.

For more information about what to do before, during and after a power outage, visit our business outages section. You'll find a range of resources, including an easy-to-follow checklist designed to make preparing for a power outage easy, no matter what kind of business you’re in.