Pepco Power Outage: What to Do in Washington DC

It is 7 p.m. on a Wednesday in August. A fast-moving thunderstorm rolls through Capitol Hill, the lights flicker twice, and then nothing. The window AC stops humming, the refrigerator goes quiet, and a phone screen becomes the brightest thing in the room.

That scenario plays out hundreds of times a year across Washington DC. Pepco is the only electric utility serving the District, which means every outage, regardless of cause, goes through the same company, the same reporting system, and the same restoration crews. Understanding how that system works before the lights go out makes a real difference when they do.

Pepco (Potomac Electric Power Company) owns and operates the poles, wires, transformers, and substations that deliver electricity to homes and businesses in Washington DC and parts of suburban Maryland. The company handles billing, meter reading, and outage response for every DC customer, regardless of whether that customer buys their supply through Standard Offer Service (SOS) or a competitive supplier.

That last point matters: if you have switched to a third-party energy supplier, Pepco still delivers your power and still responds to your outage. Your supplier choice affects only the supply portion of your bill. When something goes wrong with the wires, Pepco is always the call.

Pepco operates under the oversight of the DC Public Service Commission (DCPSC), the regulatory body that sets service standards and approves rates in the District. The DCPSC also handles formal complaints if a customer believes Pepco's response was inadequate.

The faster an outage is reported, the faster Pepco can dispatch crews and begin prioritizing affected areas. There are three ways to report:

1. Online outage reporting. Pepco's website has a dedicated outage reporting tool. Log into your account or enter your address and follow the prompts. This method also lets you see whether the outage has already been reported by a neighbor.

2. Text reporting. Customers enrolled in Pepco's text alerts can text OUT to Pepco's shortcode to report an outage and receive status updates by reply. Enrollment is handled through the online account portal.

3. Phone. Pepco's customer service line is available around the clock for outage reports. The number is printed on every Pepco bill. Keep a screenshot or photo of the bill on your phone so the number is accessible even when internet is slow.

When you report, have your account number or service address ready. If you see a downed wire, a sparking transformer, or any safety hazard, call 911 first, then call Pepco. Do not approach downed lines under any circumstances.

Pepco maintains a live outage map at its website that updates regularly during an event. The map shows affected areas shaded by severity, the estimated number of customers without power in each cluster, and (when available) an estimated restoration time.

A few things to know about reading the map accurately:

Cluster size does not equal street-level accuracy. The map groups affected customers into circles or polygons. Your specific block may be within a shaded area but actually have power, or vice versa. Always report your outage individually so Pepco has precise address-level data.

Estimated restoration times are working targets. Pepco posts ETRs (estimated times of restoration) as crews assess damage. An ETR can move earlier if damage is less severe than expected, or later if crews discover additional problems. Check the map periodically rather than treating the first ETR as a firm deadline.

Large storms create rolling ETRs. After a major weather event, Pepco often cannot post ETRs for every outage immediately. The map may show "assessing" for a period while crews complete damage surveys. This is normal and does not mean your outage has been overlooked.

For the most current status, check the map directly on Pepco's site rather than relying on screenshots shared on social media, which can be hours out of date.

Restoration time in DC depends on several factors, and understanding them helps set realistic expectations.

Cause of the outage. A single blown fuse on a neighborhood transformer can often be fixed in under an hour. A transmission-level failure affecting a substation may take many hours. Storm damage requiring tree removal before crews can reach lines takes longer still.

Number of customers affected. Pepco, like all utilities, uses a triage approach. Outages affecting hospitals, emergency services, and large numbers of customers are typically addressed first. A single-home outage caused by an individual service line problem may wait longer while larger events are resolved.

Safety conditions. Pepco crews cannot work safely on live equipment during active lightning or extremely high winds. Restoration work on exterior lines may pause temporarily during the worst part of a storm and resume as conditions allow.

Time of day and crew availability. Major storms that knock out power for a large portion of the service territory may trigger mutual aid agreements, bringing in crews from other utilities. Pepco has used mutual aid after significant weather events in the past.

If your power has been out for an extended period and the map still shows your area as unresolved, call Pepco again. It is possible your address was not included in a work order if your outage is isolated from a larger cluster.

Washington DC summers are serious. Heat-related illness is a real risk during extended outages in July and August. The DC Department of Energy and Environment (DOEE) and DC's Homeland Security and Emergency Management Agency maintain lists of cooling centers that open during heat emergencies. Check dc.gov or call 311 for current locations during a hot-weather outage.

A few safety basics that matter every time:

Never run a generator indoors. Carbon monoxide from generators kills people every year during power outages. Generators belong outside, well away from windows and doors.

Keep the refrigerator and freezer closed. An unopened refrigerator holds safe temperature for roughly four hours. A full freezer can stay safe for up to 48 hours if kept closed. When in doubt about food safety after an extended outage, discard it.

Turn off and unplug major appliances. When power is restored after a surge event, voltage fluctuations can damage electronics. Turn off and unplug televisions, computers, and similar equipment until power has been stable for a few minutes.

Leave one light switched on so you know when power returns if you fall asleep or leave the room.

The DC Public Service Commission (DCPSC) sets rules for how Pepco must perform, including response time requirements and customer notification standards. If Pepco fails to meet those standards during your outage, you have the right to file a formal complaint with the DCPSC.

The DCPSC's Office of Consumer Services handles complaints from DC electricity customers. Filing a complaint does not require a lawyer and can be done online through the DCPSC website. The Commission may order Pepco to take corrective action or, in some cases, provide bill credits.

Keep a written log during a significant outage: the time power went out, when you reported it, what ETRs you were given, and when power was restored. That record is useful if you pursue a complaint or if you experience losses (spoiled food, medical equipment concerns) that you wish to document.

For questions about your electricity supply rate, your SOS rate, or whether a competitive supplier might save you money on the supply portion of your bill, see the Washington DC electricity rates page at ElectricRates.org. As of June 2026, Pepco's SOS rate is approximately 16.1 cents per kilowatt-hour, and no competitive supplier currently offers a lower supply rate in DC, so most DC customers are best served staying on SOS for now.

The best time to set up Pepco text alerts, save the customer service number, and bookmark the outage map is before any outage happens.

A basic home preparation list for DC residents:

Account setup. Register for a Pepco online account and enroll in outage text notifications. This makes reporting faster and keeps you updated without having to check the map manually.

Emergency kit. Flashlights with fresh batteries, a battery-powered or hand-crank radio, a portable phone charger (kept charged), and at least one day's supply of water and non-perishable food cover most short outages.

Medical equipment. If you or someone in your household relies on electrically powered medical equipment, register with Pepco as a medical baseline customer and notify your physician about outage preparedness. The DCPSC and DOEE both have resources for customers with medical needs.

Know your neighbors. During extended outages, especially in heat, checking on elderly or vulnerable neighbors can be lifesaving. DC's 311 service can also connect residents with wellness checks.

For ongoing rate comparisons and to understand what you are paying on your Pepco bill beyond the delivery charges, ElectricRates.org tracks live Washington DC electricity rates so you always have current information.