Critical Care
If there is someone in your home whose health depends on an electrically-operated device, it’s important that you take necessary precautions to prepare for power outages.
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Plug the device into an uninterruptable power supply, or battery backup, that can provide emergency power for a period of time.
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Invest in a portable generator that can power life-saving equipment in the event of an extended power outage.
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Plug electronic devices into surge protectors, which will protect the equipment from potential damage in the event of a power surge.
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Always keep an adequate supply of prescription drugs and medical equipment on hand in case a storm prevents you from getting refills.
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Report outages immediately by calling us at 1-800-364-3171. Keep a cell phone or corded landline in your home that can be used to make phone calls when the power is out.
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Let SBEC know if someone in your home relies on life-supporting medical equipment by filling out application below. If you’re already on our critical care registry, please notify us of any changes you’ve made to your address, phone number or medical equipment.
Complete the Critical Care Form below and submit it. Please be aware that this designation does not guarantee an uninterrupted, regular, or continuous power supply. If electricity is a necessity, you must make other arrangements for on-site back-up capabilities or other alternatives in the event of loss of electric service.
CRITICAL CARE REGISTERY
If a member is depending on an electrically operated health aid, the member can sign up for the San Bernard EC Critical Care Registry. To sign up for the registry, a member must complete the application located on our website. The application does require the member’s physician to sign and submit back to SBEC. Please note that acceptance into the program does not guarantee continuous electric power. If electricity is a necessity to sustain life, you must make other arrangements for onsite back-up capabilities or other alternatives in the event of power loss.
Regardless of the nature of the load shedding event, San Bernard EC is committed to ensuring the safe and reliable delivery of electricity to its members 24/7. While we may not be able to control the issues or conditions that impact ERCOT’s order to shed load, we will do everything in our power to restore electricity when we are able to safely do so. We encourage all our members to download our SmartHub App and sign up for notifications to be notified in the event of a sustained power outage. Also, if your contact information has changed, we strongly urge you to give us a call to make sure we have the best way to contact you. Thank you for being a valued member of San Bernard Electric Cooperative, Inc.
IMPORTANT INFORMATION
San Bernard Electric Cooperative is continually monitoring the grid conditions from the Electricity Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT). ERCOT is responsible for ensuring that the supply of electricity is sufficient to meet customer demand (load) for electricity for 90 percent of the state of Texas. If emergency requests that involve forced outages for consumers are created by ERCOT, SBEC will comply with those requirements and will update communication channels as quickly as possible.
Since a load shed event is an emergency order from ERCOT based on a shortfall of electricity being generated, electric utilities, including SBEC, do not have the information to be able to notify individual members if they may lose power, when they may lose power or how long the load shed event may last. During a load shed event we urge our members to conserve energy by turning all large appliances in the off position. Since those items use large amounts of electricity, when the power comes back on, it will help prevent the system from being overloaded when the power is restored.