Portable generators can be deadly to those who use them and to utility workers if the devices are improperly installed. If a customer plans to install a temporary generator, they must first open their main breaker or remove their main fuses before connecting the generator to their electrical systems. Failure to do this could seriously injure utility crews working on outside power lines, and/or it could cause damage to a neighbor's property or the customer's own equipment.
Customers must also ensure the generator is properly exhausted to the outside to prevent carbon monoxide poisoning. Exercise extreme caution when handling fuel for portable generators, especially when re-fueling hot or running generators.
For information regarding permanently installed generators, go to www.ameren.com.
With assets of more than $19 billion, Ameren, through its operating companies, serves 2.4 million electric and one million natural gas customers in a 64,000- square-mile area of Illinois and Missouri.