Outage and disconnection FAQs

Outage and disconnection FAQs

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Outage and disconnection

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You could have a power outage in your area due to complications and fluctuations in the energy grid. These issues can be the result of inclement weather or higher-than-normal usage from hot or cold weather. 

Your local utility company owns and maintains the equipment that transmits power to your home. For more information on power outages, contact your local utility.

The local utility assigned to your service area maintains all the poles, wires and lines that transmit electricity and natural gas to your home. To report a power outage or natural gas leak, please contact your local utility company

Texas customers 

Your power could be disconnected for a couple of reasons:   

  • Your area is experiencing a temporary power outage due to complications with the electricity grid. You can contact your local utility company to report and resolve the outage. You can find your utility’s contact information on your Direct Energy bill.  
  • You have a past-due balance with Direct Energy that has not been paid, and it is greater than 10 days past your bill due date. In these cases, a Disconnection Order is carried out for your service address. Once your past-due balance is paid in full, we’ll send a Reconnection Order to your utility.  

You can also call Direct Energy customer support at 1-888-305-3828 to request a Payment Arrangement for your past-due balance. 

Northeast & Midwest customers 

If you are disconnected because of a past-due balance or due to technical difficulties with the electric grid in your area, contact your local utility for billing or outage information.  

Texas customers

Past-due balance: If you are disconnected because of a past-due balance, you can have your power reconnected by paying your past-due balance in full. You can also call Direct Energy customer support at 1-888-305-3828 to request a payment arrangement for your past-due balance.

For payments received between 8 a.m. and 7 p.m. on a business day, Direct Energy will send a reconnect order to the local Transmission and Distribution Utility (TDU, also known as your local utility), who will reconnect service no later than the close of the next business day. The TDU must have access to the meter to reconnect service.

Power outages: If you are disconnected because of technical difficulties with the electric grid in your area, contact your local utility for more information.

Northeast & Midwest customers

If you are disconnected because of a past-due balance or due to technical difficulties with the electric grid in your area, contact your local utility for billing or outage information. 

Texas customers  

Monthly billed customers: once we receive your payment, we’ll send the Reconnection Order to your local utility. If you have a traditional analog meter, please be advised that it can take 24 – 48 hours for your power to be reconnected, depending on the workload of the utility technicians. If you have a Smart Meter, it can take only a few hours for your power to be reconnected, but it still depends on the workload of the utility technicians. If there are complications such as a lack of signal to your meter, it could also take 24 – 48 hours to reconnect power. 

Prepaid customers: since you have a Smart Meter, it can take only a few hours for your power to be reconnected, but it still depends on the workload of the utility technicians. If there are complications such as a lack of signal to your meter, it could take 24 – 48 hours to reconnect power. 

You can call your local utility for information on when your power can be reconnected. Your utility’s contact information can be found on your Direct Energy bill.  

Northeast & Midwest customers 

Please contact your local utility for billing or outage information. 

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Texas customers: Call us at 1-855-461-1926
Northeast and Midwest customers: Contact us


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Texas customers: Call us at 1-888-305-3828
Northeast and Midwest customers: Contact us