If you plan to dig, excavate, bore, tunnel or blast in areas where underground utilities may be damaged, you must notify the North Carolina One Call Center at 1-800-632-4949, or at 811, at least 48 hours in advance of your intended activity. Holidays and weekends are not counted as part of the 48-hour notice. This service will let you know whether you are in danger of accidentally disturbing a buried utility line.

If any member of your family depends on life support equipment, such as a dialysis machine, call EnergyUnited and ask what you must do to add that person's name to the EnergyUnited High Priority Service list. Although, EnergyUnited strives to maintain continuous electric service, avoidable outages do occur, especially during adverse weather. Barring major, widespread outages, EnergyUnited will give priority when restoring electricity to members who depend on life support equipment.

If the meter base, riser (conduit) or weatherhead is pulled away from your house, you are responsible for having it mounted back onto your house. However, we urge you to use the utmost caution in dealing with the repairs. You should contact someone qualified to safely make electrical repairs. There exists the possibility you could still have power in your home even though any one of these items, or possibly all three, are pulled away from the house. If this is the case, this means they are "energized" and carry 240 volts of electricity and would be deadly if touched. We urge you to use extreme caution and contact someone qualified to safely make the repairs. Once a qualified repair person has assessed the situation and determines what repairs are needed, it may be necessary to contact EnergyUnited to temporarily disconnect electric service while repairs are made.

Before you begin planting - before you even buy trees, look up to see where the power lines are located and consider how high and how wide different types of trees will be at full maturity. Ask a landscaper or garden center expert how tall the tree will grow. A good rule of thumb to follow is to plant trees that will not grow very tall at 20 - 30 feet away from power lines and medium-sized trees 30 - 80 feet away. Plant tall-growing trees more than 80 feet away from power lines.

EnergyUnited understands that some members find it necessary to have standby generators in case of a power outage. If you use a portable generator, please adhere to the following:

• Contact EnergyUnited for instructions on how to properly connect a portable generator.
• Make sure your generator is isolated from EnergyUnited's power lines.

EnergyUnited does not allow members or the general public to attach objects to utility poles. Although signs advertising yard sales, work-at-home promotions, sale items, and political candidates frequently are found attached to utility poles belonging to EnergyUnited, and other utility companies, they are strictly prohibited. Other prohibited objects include basketball goals, deer stands, and satellite dishes. Sharp objects such as nails, tacks, and stakes can puncture rubber gloves and other safety equipment, making line technicians vulnerable to electrocution.