Power's Out: Check This First

First question: is it just you?

Look outside. If the neighbors and streetlights are dark too, it's a utility outage — report it on Duquesne Light's outage line or website (the number's on your bill and at duquesnelight.com) and sit tight. We can't fix the grid, but we do want to know about extended outages, especially in winter.

Just your unit: the breaker panel

• Find your panel (basement, hallway closet, or kitchen, typically). Open it and scan for a breaker sitting between ON and OFF, or one that's visibly out of line with the rest.
• To reset: push it fully OFF first, then back ON. Halfway flips don't reset anything.
• If it trips again right away, stop. A breaker that won't hold is protecting you from something — unplug whatever's on that circuit and submit an urgent work order. Don't keep forcing it.

One dead outlet: the GFCI scavenger hunt

• Bathroom, kitchen, garage, basement, and outdoor outlets are usually protected by a GFCI — the outlet with TEST and RESET buttons.
• Here's the trick: one GFCI can control several ordinary-looking outlets downstream, even in other rooms. Dead bathroom outlet? The reset button might be in the other bathroom, the kitchen, or the garage.
• Press RESET firmly until it clicks. If it won't hold, or trips every time you plug something in, work order it.

While the power's out

• Fridge closed: food keeps about 4 hours in a closed fridge, 24–48 in a full closed freezer.
• Unplug sensitive electronics so the surge when power returns doesn't take them out.
• Never run a generator or grill indoors — including garages and basements. Carbon monoxide doesn't announce itself.
• If anyone in the household relies on powered medical equipment, the lease asks you to notify the utility and us in advance — do that now if you haven't, so you're flagged for priority restoration.