This article was published in February 2022 and may be outdated.
Manitoba Hydro crews work through extreme conditions to ensure you have reliable electric and natural gas service during the colder months.
Extreme wind chills, excessive snow, and snowdrifts can block roads and make access to our equipment much more difficult. You can help Manitoba Hydro employees do their jobs safely, effectively, and quickly by:
Maintaining your walkway and driveway. It can be challenging for meter readers to navigate piles of snow and icy walkways to do their job.
Please keep your driveway, walkway, and steps free of ice and snow, and ensure there is a clear path to your natural gas and electric meters.
Remove ice and snow from your natural gas meter and side vents. Even though your natural gas meter and pressure regulator are built to withstand extreme winter weather, snow and ice on the equipment can create a safety hazard.
Snow build-up on the regulator can block the vent and allow excess gas pressure into your home. Accumulated snow and ice can also put stress on the meter piping and could cause a gas leak.
Gently remove the snow with a broom or your hand. Avoid shoveling or using a snow blower around your meter. If you have difficulty removing the snow or ice from your meter or regulator, call Manitoba Hydro at 1-888-624-9376.
Also keep snow and ice from your side vent if you have a high efficiency natural gas furnace so it operates safely. If snow is blocking your furnace vent, clear it away by hand — don’t use a shovel or a snow blower as either could cause damage to the furnace vents.
Report a power outage as soon as possible. During winter, power outages can happen by heavy snow or ice accumulating on power lines, or from high winds knocking trees onto lines or damaging other electrical equipment.
If the power goes out, report it immediately using your smart phone on outages or the Manitoba Hydro app (available on the Apple App Store and Google Play). Be sure you can be reached at the phone number you provide, and it’s linked to your Manitoba Hydro account so we can assign a crew to the right location.
Be prepared for an outage. You should also take a few minutes to put together an emergency kit, so you and your family are safe during an outage. Essential items include a flashlight and extra batteries, a portable USB phone charger and a car charger for mobile devices, bottled water, canned or dried food including pet food, manual can opener, extra blankets, candles and matches, and a first aid kit.
And if you see a downed power line, keep yourself and others at least 10 metres away and call 911 immediately — it poses a public safety risk. Call us at 1-888-624-9376 so we can deploy a crew.