ReliabiliTree is a Westar Energy program that keeps trees near power lines trimmed, reducing the risk of an outage.

The world seems to stop when the power goes out — No humming appliances, yakking televisions or beeping electronic games. So much of our life is connected to electricity it is disconcerting when the connection is broken.

Westar Energy’s Media Relations Manager Gina Penzig said power outages in the Lawrence division are down about 40 percent compared with the first half of 2014. This is primarily due to a quiet storm season and the implementation of ReliabiliTree, the program responsible for trimming trees along area power lines.

“One of the common causes for outages so far this year has been wildlife, primarily squirrels,” Penzig wrote in an email. “When our crews respond to a wildlife-related outage they will add wildlife protection to the affected equipment to help prevent future outages.”

The hot weather also doesn’t help. When the temperature goes up, so does electrical use. This can put outage-causing stress on the system.

“We work to prevent this by using infrared technology to look for weak spots in the system before the stress of summer,” she said. “We also can sometimes shift the load on the system to other circuits as needed, similar to a redirecting traffic if you have a street that is congested.”

The first thing a homeowner should do when the power goes out is call the electric company. Westar encourages customers to keep the 1-800-LIGHT KS outage number by the telephone or programmed into their cell phones. Don’t assume someone else will call. The more outage reports the company receives, the faster a cause can be determined.

Customers may report and receive updates about power outages by signing up for Westar’s text or email service. A new mobile app, MyWestar, is available on the Apple Store and Google Play. The app allows you to manage your account and report and monitor power outages using the app. 

Next, turn off all your appliances, including the air conditioner, water heater, and water pump. Unplug televisions and computers. This keeps the circuits from overloading when the power is restored. Leave on one light to signal the power is back on.

Keep the doors to the refrigerator and freezer closed. Food in the refrigerator will stay safe for about four hours, and a full freezer of food will keep frozen for about 48 hours.

To help keep the inside cool, close the curtains and blinds on the sunny side of the house. Also, keep the doors and windows closed until the indoor temperature equals the outside. Plus drink plenty of water.

Westar’s website, www.westarenergy.com, has additional information for dealing with power outages. Just click on the “Report an outage” tab.