Members have asked for text outage notifications, and we’re excited to begin offering this service on Feb. 2, 2026. Our outage and after-hours phone number, 800‑239‑1193, will also be used for outage text alerts.
One phone number, 800‑239‑1193, allows you to call and report a power outage or other issue 24/7, but if you only need to report an outage you can simply text the word OUT. By texting OUT you can get real‑time updates about power outages affecting your home or business. If an outage occurs in your area, you’ll receive alerts automatically—even if you haven’t texted us yet.
We encourage all CEC members to update your contact information to help ensure you receive text outage notifications. You can do this by logging into your My Co-op Account, the CEC app or by calling our office and speaking to an MSR. CEC members will receive automatic text notifications for both planned and unexpected power outages.
Keywords to know for texting:
- OUT – Report an outage for any address linked to your cellphone
- STATUS – Get updates on an outage affecting your service address
- STOP – Opt-out of outage text alerts
- UNSTOP – To opt back in
It’s important to remember that CEC members will still need to call our outage and after-hours number, (800) 239‑1193, to report issues not tied to an address on your account (like a snapped pole or downed power line on the side of the road) or any payment issues.
Please note: Texts to the outage number are not monitored. Messages go directly to our dispatch system, so only the keywords above will be accepted. For anything else, call the outage number to speak to a co-op representative.
If you receive a welcome text but prefer not to get alerts, reply STOP to unenroll.