Power Outages

If your power goes off, please ensure it is not due to something in your home before calling our emergency phone numbers. First, check your fuse or breaker panel. Next, check the main breaker below the BEC meter that registers the amount of power you use. Fuse replacement or resetting a tripped breaker may allow you to restore your power quickly. But recognize that if your problem continues, it’s a sign that something is wrong—like a defective appliance or an overloaded circuit. We suggest you call an electrician.

If your outage does not appear to have been caused by something in your home, check with your neighbors. If they don’t have power, call us.

(406) 446-2310 or (1-800) 472-9821

When you call, give us your name, your physical address, and your phone number. If you know what may have caused the outage, please tell us. If you get a busy signal when you call, please keep trying. We will answer your call as quickly as possible. Recognize that a lot of people will likely be calling during a widespread outage. Please be patient and stay on the line until we answer. Know that BEC crews will work around the clock until they restore your service.

While The Electricity Is Off

Life Support Equipment

If someone in your home is dependent on life-support equipment, don’t wait until an outage occurs to tell us. Call us before an outage, so we know to give your residence priority in reconnecting service. Consider having a generator available as a precautionary measure.

Scheduled Outages

Occasionally, BEC will need to schedule a planned outage to do maintenance or to repair our equipment or lines. We will attempt to alert you about the outage by phone.

Short Outages/Blinks

You may occasionally experience very short outages due to the protective breakers we install. If a branch falls onto a power line, for instance, our breakers will automatically interrupt power until the branch falls clear of the line. For most of the year, we set our breakers to attempt to restore power three times before they finally cut the power. During fire season in forested areas, however, we reset the breakers, so they cut power immediately to prevent fires.