CHEYENNE, WY – February 21, 2023 – Black Hills Energy is closely monitoring weather conditions and forecasts for a winter storm predicted to impact many of our Wyoming service areas. The operations teams from both our electric and natural gas business units are preparing for possible ice, heavy snow accumulation and cold temperatures.

Updates, safety information and outage resources can be found at blackhillsenergy.com/weather.

Tips for conserving energy can be found at blackhillsenergy.com/winter-ready.
 

Safety Reminders

Natural gas safety

Snow and ice buildup on your natural gas meter can create a safety hazard and may cut off the flow of natural gas to your heating equipment and other appliances. Please follow these guidelines for staying safe:

• Gently clear snow away by hand or with a broom. Do not use a shovel, ice pick or other sharp tools, damage could result and make the situation worse.
• Keep snow blowers and shovels away from gas meters and other above-ground equipment.
• Carefully clear snow away from the outdoor vent on high-efficiency furnaces and gas water heaters. These appliances will not run safely and efficiently if the vents are blocked.
• Safely remove ice buildup from overhead eaves that could fall and damage gas meters below.
• Point out the meter and any other above-ground utility structures to anyone you hire for snow removal. 

Electric safety

In an event that you experience an unexpected outage in your home or business, please follow these guidelines for staying safe:

• If your power goes out, see if your neighbors have power. If they do, check your home for blown fuses or a tripped circuit breaker.
• If your neighbors don't have power or if you can't locate the problem, report the outage at blackhillsenergy.com/outages.
• If you see damaged outdoor electric power equipment, please contact us at 888-890-5554.
• Do not try to remove any debris if it is on a powerline or outdoor electrical equipment.
• If you are outdoors, never touch or attempt to pick up a fallen powerline. Assume any downed power line is energized.
• During an outage, unplug sensitive computer and electronic equipment or protect them with a high-quality surge protector.

Electrical outage and natural gas disruption of service information

For outage information in your area, stay connected with us by logging into your online account or follow us on Facebook or Twitter. To receive outage notification on your mobile device, please log into your Black Hills Energy account and opt in for notices.