Puget Sound Energy's new 24-hour power restoration guarantee takes effect on January 1st. It says the public utility company will restore power within 24 hours or pay customers a $50 credit.
A PSE spokesperson said the new policy was created because reliability is important to PSE, and the company hopes to show people just how serious they take power outages.
KING 5 went to one of King County's most power outage plagued neighborhoods to ask what people think about the change.
"I'm cashing in on that one, you bet I am," said Kathy Myers, whose home on 65th Avenue Northeast in Kenmore has lost power more times than she can count over the last few years.
"It can go for days," she said of the outages. "One month, back in September or October, it was off for several days, several times through that three or four week period. And it's not always storm related."
Homeowners in Myers' Kenmore neighborhood often joke that they are the first to lose power and the last to get it back.
It's a known trouble spot that Puget Sound Energy refers to as Circuit 26, and an area the company is actively working on, to improve service. Kenmore city leaders have also met with PSE, to express concerns about the frequent outages there.
In the meantime, Myers said she appreciates the 24-hour restoration guarantee. She hopes it will serve as motivation for PSE and it's power crews to work quickly when the power goes out.
"If they're willing to put that offer for money out then they're willing to put the work out to prevent them having to pay that money," she said. "Because otherwise, it would cost them big time, it happens too often."
There are a few important qualifications and conditions that must be met for a customer to receive the $50 credit.
Those conditions are outlined in the policy's fine print, but first and foremost, PSE says customers must either report their outage to PSE, or request the credit within seven calendar days following restoration.
Outages can be reported by phone or on Puget Sound Energy's app.
The 24-hour restoration guarantee is not applicable during a major storm or event. PSE must also have safe access to its facilities to perform the needed repair within 24 hours.
The new policy takes effect on January 1st, 2017. All of Puget Sound Energy's 1.1 million electric customers are eligible to apply for the $50 credit, during non-storm related outages that last more than 24 hours.
