FAQs

Go to MyAccount → Outage alerts (remove contact info). To unsubscribe to our text alerts, reply STOP to any message.

See “Outage preparedness” for tailored tips, safety checklists and what to expect during interruptions in different building types and neighbourhoods.

See “Electrical safety at home” to learn about hazards at home, electrical appliances, home electrical systems, flooding, as well as safety around electrical equipment and crews at work.

See “Outdoor and power line safety” for helpful tips on overhead lines, transformers, tree trimming and planting, our crews at work, and more.

For planned maintenance, you’ll receive advance notice (by phone or hand-delivered to your door). For emergencies/storm response, we may act without notice to restore power safely.

Yes. We offer a Tree Planting Advice brochure to help you choose the right tree for the right place.

No. But you can find qualified professionals via the International Society of Arboriculture (ISA).

No. We don’t leave wood chips or tree branches on site.

For routine maintenance, Hydro Ottawa’s contractors remove branches and debris. For storm damage or customer-requested work, debris removal and cleanup is the homeowner’s responsibility.

We won’t charge you if we trim within the three-metre clearance zone. Pruning outside this area is the homeowner’s responsibility, but we can provide a free quote. For trees on city property, call 3-1-1.

Yes. We can arrange a temporary power outage, so your contractor can work safely. Submit a tree trimming request to schedule an inspection or a temporary disconnection.

We maintain vegetation near primary overhead lines (only crews and approved contractors can work within three metres of an overhead powerline). Submit your tree trimming request online. 

Property owners are responsible for trees and vegetation around service wires (the line that feeds your home) and outside Hydro Ottawa’s clearance area. Our inspectors can provide you with a quote for any tree-trimming that is outside the 3 metre radius. We can also provide a quote to trim the vegetation around your service wire.

For trees on city-owned property, call 3-1-1.

We trim trees to maintain a safe clearance from overhead lines and to keep our service reliable during storms, high winds and other extreme weather.

See our “Farms” page and Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs resources.

You may have a power quality problem if you notice lights flickering and dimming, computers restarting, equipment malfunctioning, breakers tripping or automated systems stopping unexpectedly. If you think you have a power quality problem, contact our customer service team at (613) 738-6400. We’ll investigate if the cause is on your premises or our system. For more information, see our Conditions of Service and our technical standard for voltage and power quality.

Only trained experts with specialized equipment should test to identify sources of stray voltage.

If our equipment is responsible for the problem, we’ll reduce our contribution to acceptable levels (e.g., filtering equipment at service connection, additional grounding on our neutral conductors). The approach depends on the farm’s setup and the investigation’s results.

For safety — proper grounding protects people and animals. It also stabilizes voltage.

Review our working procedure. It lists the steps customers should take if they think stray voltage is affecting their farm. If you’d like us to investigate, call (613) 738-6400. Provide your name, address, contact information and what you’ve observed (e.g., animal behaviour). A technician will contact you within five business days.

Stray voltage is a small electrical current that can exist between grounded surfaces. It can come from sources outside of your farm (distribution system; neutral-to-earth voltage varies with load, weather, season) and from the farm itself (faulty wiring, unbalanced loads, defective equipment, improper grounding). Other utilities (telephone, gas) can contribute.

Most power quality issues come from inside the building (wiring or equipment). Work with a licensed electrician or electrical consultant to identify and correct issues. Regular maintenance helps prevent problems.