E.L.K. Energy customers will soon have a new way to track power outages. ENWIN Utilities says it’s launching an online outage map for its 13,000 customers in Essex, Lakeshore and Kingsville within the first couple of weeks of November. ENWIN CEO Garry Rossi says customers will have a faster, easier way to find information when the lights go out. “Many utilities provide outage maps to their customers, and it’s a way specifically, usually during storm events or other unexplained events that interrupt power to their homes and businesses, it’s a way for them to get information in one quick and easy way,” Rossi told AM800’s The Shift with guest host Michelle Maluske. The map will show where outages are occurring and provide estimated restoration times, giving customers a single source for updates during storms or other service interruptions. Rossi says the tool fulfills a commitment made to E.L.K. customers and local councils following ENWIN’s acquisition of the utility. “The initial phase of this outage map is basically a pictograph that’s going to show what areas of E.L.K are out, and then another way to communicate when the restoration time is expected and a one stop shop basically for any and all customers,” Rossi said. The initial version won’t be as automated as ENWIN’s outage map in Windsor because E.L.K.’s system doesn’t yet have the same level of technology in place. Customers will still need to report outages directly to the utility. Rossi says the project is part of a broader effort to upgrade service across the E.L.K. territory. “We’re starting to look at different ways of bringing technology, like this outage map is one example of that. It’s how we’re going to be starting to look at what technologies we have that we can start to bring to the E.L.K. service territory,” he said. The new tool comes nearly a year after ENWIN completed its purchase of E.L.K. Energy from the Town of Essex. Integration work between the two companies is expected to continue through 2028.
