Frequently Asked Questions
What should I do if my yard light is out?
NWE does not fix privately owned lights, if you pay NWE to maintain your light (look on your electric bill), please contact our office at 800-261-1200 or CONTACT US. Once we confirm that it is a light NWE maintains, we will create a service order to repair the light.
What if I need to temporarily shut down my electric service? (ie: cutting a tree, putting new siding on your house, upgrading your electrical service, etc.)
You will need to call NWE to schedule a ‘temporary disconnect’ of service. We require a minimum notice of 3 business days to schedule service disconnects.
Do I need to report an electrical outage?
We ask that all customers report their outage using our toll-free line at 1-800-261-1200, available 24 hours a day 7 days a week. Reporting your outage ensures we have as much accurate information as possible to be able to quickly and safely restore power. Please keep in mind you will need to be at the property to confirm an outage, we will not respond to security systems without someone there.
You can also view our outage map online or on the NWE app on your mobile device.
What causes lights to flicker or momentary outages?
Occasionally lights will flicker during extreme heat, high winds, and thunderstorms. When your power flickers off for 1-30 seconds and comes back on, you are experiencing a momentary outage. If this happens, we still recommend calling our office at 1-800-261-1200 to report this and an NWE representative will advise if further action is needed.
What causes an outage?
Electrical outages can be caused by weather or other events. Weather-related power outages can be caused by lightning strikes, extreme heat, ice, high winds, or tornadoes. Since weather-related outages can be widespread, repairs may be more complex and restoration may take from several hours to several days in extreme situations.
Outages not related to weather can be due to a number of factors, including:
How can I enroll in automatic payment?
This is a worry-free way to have your monthly electric bill automatically withdrawn from your checking or savings account. There is no extra charge for this service. If you wish to enroll in automatic payment please complete the form and submit. CLICK HERE FOR FORM
Do you have a paperless billing option?
Wanting to avoid the mail delays and the extra paper, sign up for paperless billing. There is no extra charge for this service. If you wish to enroll in the paperless billing option please complete the form and submit. Then watch your email for the next notification of your statement. CLICK HERE FOR FORM
How do I update my mailing address/phone number?
You can log in to your online account and complete the form under the customer service tab or our customer service representatives can make these updates over the phone by calling us at 1-800-261-1200.
What do I need to do if I sold my property/moved out OR purchased a property with existing service?
NWE customer service representatives can provide assistance for you by calling 800-261-1200 during regular business hours 8am to 4:30pm Monday through Friday. Please keep in mind we need a minimum of one business days’ notice to execute any requests to read in or remove the meter.
What if I’m looking to build and/or need new service connected?
If you are interested in extending electric service into your property (not transferring services) simply call NWE at 800-261-1200 or 715-463-5371 Ext. 119 to speak to a new construction representative. Please make sure to have the desired location of the new service defined on your property when you speak to the representative.
What if I want to cut trees around power lines myself?
Transmission electric wires move electricity long distances from one electric substation to another. Distribution electric wires are the wires that bring electricity to all of the homes and business serviced by a specific electric substation. Electric service wires are the wires that travel from the NWE distribution system and attach directly to your home. NWE performs maintenance trimming work around all pole-to-pole distribution and transmission electric lines. NWE will cut or trim all trees that are deemed necessary to be cut or trimmed. If you wish to cut a tree that NWE deems is not a danger to the electric transmission, distribution or service system, our representatives can schedule a ‘line drop’ with a minimum advance notice of 3 business days. You will be responsible for trimming the trees from the meter pole to your home.
What should I do if there are trees on electric wires causing an outage?
This is an emergency situation, do not try to touch or remove the tree. Please contact NWE immediately at 800-261-1200 so that we can get our crew out to determine the course of action that needs to take place.
How do I create my online account? Click here for step by step instructions
How do I add another account to my profile I already have created? Click here for step by step instructions
Once I'm signed up for paperless billing, how do I add/change the pin to access my statement from the email? Click here for step by step instructions
How do I open my statement from my email once I have my pin set? Click here for instructions
NWE does not fix privately owned lights, if you pay NWE to maintain your light (look on your electric bill), please contact our office at 800-261-1200 or CONTACT US. Once we confirm that it is a light NWE maintains, we will create a service order to repair the light.
What if I need to temporarily shut down my electric service? (ie: cutting a tree, putting new siding on your house, upgrading your electrical service, etc.)
You will need to call NWE to schedule a ‘temporary disconnect’ of service. We require a minimum notice of 3 business days to schedule service disconnects.
Do I need to report an electrical outage?
We ask that all customers report their outage using our toll-free line at 1-800-261-1200, available 24 hours a day 7 days a week. Reporting your outage ensures we have as much accurate information as possible to be able to quickly and safely restore power. Please keep in mind you will need to be at the property to confirm an outage, we will not respond to security systems without someone there.
You can also view our outage map online or on the NWE app on your mobile device.
What causes lights to flicker or momentary outages?
Occasionally lights will flicker during extreme heat, high winds, and thunderstorms. When your power flickers off for 1-30 seconds and comes back on, you are experiencing a momentary outage. If this happens, we still recommend calling our office at 1-800-261-1200 to report this and an NWE representative will advise if further action is needed.
What causes an outage?
Electrical outages can be caused by weather or other events. Weather-related power outages can be caused by lightning strikes, extreme heat, ice, high winds, or tornadoes. Since weather-related outages can be widespread, repairs may be more complex and restoration may take from several hours to several days in extreme situations.
Outages not related to weather can be due to a number of factors, including:
- Tree contact with power lines
- Equipment failure or damage by outside parties or animals
- Underground cable failure
- Outages initiated by us to ensure public safety, restore services, or maintain equipment
How can I enroll in automatic payment?
This is a worry-free way to have your monthly electric bill automatically withdrawn from your checking or savings account. There is no extra charge for this service. If you wish to enroll in automatic payment please complete the form and submit. CLICK HERE FOR FORM
Do you have a paperless billing option?
Wanting to avoid the mail delays and the extra paper, sign up for paperless billing. There is no extra charge for this service. If you wish to enroll in the paperless billing option please complete the form and submit. Then watch your email for the next notification of your statement. CLICK HERE FOR FORM
How do I update my mailing address/phone number?
You can log in to your online account and complete the form under the customer service tab or our customer service representatives can make these updates over the phone by calling us at 1-800-261-1200.
What do I need to do if I sold my property/moved out OR purchased a property with existing service?
NWE customer service representatives can provide assistance for you by calling 800-261-1200 during regular business hours 8am to 4:30pm Monday through Friday. Please keep in mind we need a minimum of one business days’ notice to execute any requests to read in or remove the meter.
What if I’m looking to build and/or need new service connected?
If you are interested in extending electric service into your property (not transferring services) simply call NWE at 800-261-1200 or 715-463-5371 Ext. 119 to speak to a new construction representative. Please make sure to have the desired location of the new service defined on your property when you speak to the representative.
What if I want to cut trees around power lines myself?
Transmission electric wires move electricity long distances from one electric substation to another. Distribution electric wires are the wires that bring electricity to all of the homes and business serviced by a specific electric substation. Electric service wires are the wires that travel from the NWE distribution system and attach directly to your home. NWE performs maintenance trimming work around all pole-to-pole distribution and transmission electric lines. NWE will cut or trim all trees that are deemed necessary to be cut or trimmed. If you wish to cut a tree that NWE deems is not a danger to the electric transmission, distribution or service system, our representatives can schedule a ‘line drop’ with a minimum advance notice of 3 business days. You will be responsible for trimming the trees from the meter pole to your home.
What should I do if there are trees on electric wires causing an outage?
This is an emergency situation, do not try to touch or remove the tree. Please contact NWE immediately at 800-261-1200 so that we can get our crew out to determine the course of action that needs to take place.
How do I create my online account? Click here for step by step instructions
How do I add another account to my profile I already have created? Click here for step by step instructions
Once I'm signed up for paperless billing, how do I add/change the pin to access my statement from the email? Click here for step by step instructions
How do I open my statement from my email once I have my pin set? Click here for instructions