News Releases

With school out and the summer season upon us, enjoying fun, sun and family is top of mind for many. To ensure those good times are as safe as possible, Louisville Gas and Electric Company and Kentucky Utilities Company encourage customers to take time to reacquaint themselves with electric and natural gas safety tips during June, which is National Safety Month.

Electric safety

Customers experiencing a power outage should keep the following safety tips in mind:

• Call LG&E and KU at 502-589-1444 (toll-free 800-331-7370) to report outages and downed power lines. Customers with registered online accounts can also report outages by texting “OUTAGE” to 4LGEKU.
• Always assume any downed wire is an energized power line and call us immediately.
• Stay away from all fallen wires and anything that may be in contact with them.
• When using portable generators, always follow the manufacturer's instructions and operate the generator in a well-ventilated area.
• Never use camp stoves and charcoal grills indoors; they can produce deadly fumes.
• Refer to the company website to learn what items to gather and store in your outage kit, as well as other electric safety tips.

Natural Gas Safety

You can use your senses to spot a natural gas leak:

• You may HEAR a blowing or hissing sound.
• You may SEE dust blowing from a hole in the ground, continuous bubbling in one spot in wet or flooded areas, dead vegetation, abnormally dry or hardened soil or fire apparently coming from the ground or burning above the ground.
• You may SMELL a gaseous or hydrocarbon odor (similar to sulfur or rotten eggs).

Remember, Kentucky law requires all excavators to contact operators of underground utilities before performing any excavation work, large or small. Call Kentucky 8-1-1, before digging, to have underground utility lines marked. 

If you suspect a gas leak, leave the area of the leak immediately. Do not use the phone, switch a light on or off, or strike a match. Once in a location away from the suspected leak, with no natural gas odor present, call your natural gas provider. Do not report a gas leak by text or email. 

Visit the company website to learn more about natural gas safety.

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Louisville Gas and Electric Company and Kentucky Utilities Company, part of the PPL Corporation (NYSE: PPL) family of companies, are regulated utilities that serve nearly 1.3 million customers and have consistently ranked among the best companies for customer service in the United States. LG&E serves 322,000 natural gas and 403,000 electric customers in Louisville and 16 surrounding counties. KU serves 546,000 customers in 77 Kentucky counties and five counties in Virginia. More information is available at www.lge-ku.com and www.pplweb.com.