The next time power goes out, Snohomish County PUD customers will know when the lights are estimated to come on again.

The improved PUD Outage Map now includes Estimated Time of Restoration (ETR), or an estimated time PUD crews are expected to have the power restored to a given area. When a PUD customer clicks on a segmented outage on the map, a box will display the outage’s cause, start time, how many customers are affected and the estimated time the power will be restored.

“Adding ETRs to the Outage Map is a big win for our customers and is a credit to the hard work of our employees,” said PUD GM/CEO John Haarlow. “We know that giving customers accurate and fast outage information is key to helping them make informed decisions during an outage.”

The PUD leveraged new technology, improved work processes and historical data to get the most accurate restoration information. Accurate ETRs allow customers to plan better and anticipate issues during outages.

Currently, ETRs are only available during non-storm conditions. During major storms, the PUD will suspend ETRs due to the high volume of outages and unknown conditions facing PUD crews in the field. ETRs will return to the map as conditions improve.

The PUD’s Outage Management System relies on customers reporting their outage. PUD customers can report an outage through the utility’s “Report an Outage” tool at www.snopud.com/outagesor by calling 425-783-1001.

For a video on what happens when customers report an outage, click here.