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Categories of FAQs
Introducing RestorePower
Joining RestorePower
Operations
Confidentiality
Updating your Account
Technical Questions
Explanations
Introducing RestorePower
What is RestorePower?
RestorePower was created to satisfy two major needs of utilities, contractors and vendors involved in power restoration activities:
First, it is a web site dedicated to facilitating distribution and transmission utility power restoration needs before, during and after emergencies caused by natural disasters. There is a need for accurate and timely information that is simply not available quickly enough today. This web site allows utility staff and crews, contractors and vendors to find crew-related information quickly, and provides various forms that usually accompany restoration activities. Second, it is the basis for creating a community dedicated to handling power restoration by giving utilities, contractors and vendors a focal point to "meet", exchange information and interact with one another.
What are RestorePower's features?
Version 1.5, posted on 12/01 provides the following functionality:
- Enable utility users to browse the site for information about utilities, contractors and vendors.
- Enable contractors and vendors to see posted request for help.
- Enable automated enrollment of utilities and contractors and allows on-line updates.
- Enable utility users to conduct multi-level queries on other utilities and contractors to select crews with desired characteristics.
- Enable utilities to determine status of crews by name.
- Enable users to get obtain a variety of forms to speed pre- and post-restoration work.
- Enable users to contact specified users either individually or as a group.
In addition to these features, the site offers a discussion board to post and read questions and answers, regulatory activity updates in the Restoration News and Events area, and links to other useful sites.
What future enhancements are planned?
Our plans call for further enhancements that we anticipate in the marketplace, including the following features, subject to users' demands:
- Online contracting capability
- Integration with utility back-office systems
- Specialized relationships with logistics vendors
- Expanded manufacturer, vendor and contractor services
- Customer outage reporting and analysis
- Short-term / short-notice emergency restoration support
How does RestorePower fit in with the various utility supply chain sites under development?
RestorePower is a niche site dedicated to meeting the utility restoration manager's needs. For materials, we plan to provide user-friendly links to the major supply chain sites and develop automated catalogs of spare equipment available from the user community. We will "piggyback," not compete, with the major supply chain sites.
Are there subscription fees?
Yes, RestorePower charges subscription fees to maintain this web site and to provide subscriber services. These fees differ depending on the type of entity requesting subscription and additional criteria established by RestorePower. Please contact Subscriber Services for details. We reserve the right to change these fees without notice.
Is the subscription permanent?
Your subscription is reviewed annually. To maintain your subscription, you need to adhere to the rules and regulations contained in the User Agreement and pay subscription fees.
How does this site operate?
The contact information and most of the content is self-maintained by users. We do not police the content and do not verify information for accuracy. However, we have instituted policies and procedures that help maintain the accuracy of the web site data.
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Joining RestorePower
Who can join RestorePower?
Any distribution or transmission utility, authorized and licensed contractors, and selected vendors who provide power restoration services. RestorePower reserves the right to reject your submission if it does not meet our criteria or for any other reason.
How do I join RestorePower?
Visit http://www.restorepower.com. Select the orange button "Sign Up Now." Fill out all data blanks; the mandatory fields are marked with asterisks (*). Data fields are located on two pages; a third page lists a User Agreement (one of the conditions to become a user is to agree to the conditions of usage). Select "Submit" button at the bottom of each of the first two pages and "agree" to the conditions of the agreement. After agreeing, a confirmation message will appear that your application is being reviewed. You will also receive an e-mail that confirms your initial registration.
After receiving your application, we will review it and if approved, we will respond with an e-mail to the address that you signed up with. This process may take up to 24 hours during work week. At that point, you can go to the site and type in your username and password and use the features of this site.
How to register another user from my company with this site?
A company's admin user can make these additions. On the left-hand side of the screen, on the user home page, under "Quick Links" select "Update My Account." There are six tabs - select "Other Users." Then input the required information; the most critical is the username (the e-mail address) and a password that will need to be assign for the new user. Once submitted, usually within one hour, this becomes an authorized user.
How to eliminate a user from a list of those who can use this site?
A company's admin user can make these changes. On the left-hand side of the screen, on the user home page, under "Quick Links" select "Update My Account There are six tabs - select "Other Users." From the list of all authorized users select the user that you want to eliminate from your list; you will see a new screen with information about that user. Go to the end of the page and select "Delete this Account."
Can more than one person use the same username and password simultaneously?
Yes, our web site allows for this situation when several users can access the site using the same username and password from different terminals.
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Operations
How does "Post My Need for Resources" under Quick Links work?
On the page "Post My Need for Resources" you can post your need for any power restoration resources. This is a temporary listing that will auto-expire after 14 days or earlier if you select the "Delete" button located right below your posting. Only you and your company can see that button.
How does "Post My Resources" work?
On this page you can post the availability of your resources so that other utilities that need resources know immediately that yours are potentially available. This allows others to faster find the type of resources that they need and you to increase utilization of your own resources.
How do I change my password?
Go to "Update My Account" and select the first tab "My Account." Go to the section located at the bottom of the page and follow instructions to change your password.
How do I active Auto-login?
Auto-login allows you to avoid typing your username and password each time you want to enter the web site (the downside is that anyone with access to your computer can now access the web site and your company's information). All you need to do is to select the button "Activate Auto-login."
How can I Search for a Resource?
On the subscriber home page, go to the left-hand side of the screen and select Search for Resources. You will see a screen with several tabs that allow you to conduct search for different types of resources. Typically you can conduct searches by distance and by state.
Quick Search - you can probably accomplish most of your searches from this tab (the search is by distance and state).
Crew Resources - you can search for crews with specific capabilities by distance and by state.
Vendor - you can search for different types of vendors who provide power restoration services.
Tree Clearing - you can search by companies that provide tree-clearing services.
Name - search companies by name; oftentimes it is sufficient to provide just the first letter of the name.
How do I get assistance in using the RestorePower site?
You can obtain assistance from RestorePower in several ways:
- The easiest and best way to get answers to your questions is to review the answers in the Frequently Asked Questions portion of the site. We update FAQ continually to include questions posted by our subscribers.
- You can post questions and review the answers on the Discussion Board.
- You can contact us via e-mail or phone.
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Confidentiality
What confidentiality terms apply to RestorePower?
The standard User Agreement, posted on the site, sets the rules for this site's usage. To the extent possible, we monitor the site's usage to remind everyone to adhere to the Agreement's rules. Our privacy policy is stated in the Privacy Statement. All subscribers must realize that for the site to be useful, information posted is available to most classes of subscribers. Any disclosure of such information to regulators is up to an individual subscriber.
How secure is this site?
We developed this web site using generally accepted standard features to ensure the security of its contents and user confidentiality. Beyond that, the confidentiality of the information on this web site depends on how well users safeguard their individual user names and passwords.
What can I do to ensure the security of my account?
Never reveal your password to anyone. Never write it down where anyone can find it. Do not use a password that is obvious, such as your nickname or the name(s) of your child/children. Change your password often, and be sure that you do not use common words that can be found in a dictionary, or numbers in a series. Never post your passwords on your PC. Use a screen saver password. Log off the site when you know you will be away from your desk for a long duration and at the end of the day.
What is RestorePower's privacy pledge?
For a complete description of our privacy pledge, please see our Privacy Statement.
Are regulators and the general public able to join the outage restoration community on the site?
No, they are only able to view the parts of the web site that are available to the public. Subscribers are limited to distribution and transmission asset owners and other entities that provide power restoration services.
Are utility customers able to access the site?
As part of future enhancements, we plan to offer end-use customers the ability to report outages. Our current plans are to simply sort and forward those emails to the applicable utility.
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Updating your Account
How is the account information structured?
The account information is organized into the following 6 tabs: My Account, Contacts, General, Detail, Divisions, Other Users.
My Account - this is the information that the Primary Contact or the Company Admin User inputted.
Contact - provides details about contact information for your company
General - lists general information about your company
Detail - provides detailed information about your company's capabilities
Divisions - provides information about divisions within your company.
Other Users -additional users from your company.
Who can update the company information?
There is one authorized user per company who can edit / change company information. That designation is made during the sign-up process. This person is refered to as the Company Admin User.
How do I update my account?
On the Quick Links portion of the home page, select "Update My Account" page. There are six different tabs to update various aspects of the web site information. Company Admin User can edit the data fields. In order to make the change permanent, it is important to select "Submit Change" button at the bottom of each page before moving on to another tab. A failure to do so will result in lost data.
How often can I update the company information?
There is no limit on how often you can do this. Preferably, you will update as often as there are changes in your company's information.
Is there a charge for updating company information?
No, you can update as frequently as you want without any charges.
How do I obtain a username and a password?
Your e-mail address is your user name; you can select a password between 8 and 16 alphanumeric and case-sensitive characters.
Who conducts updates?
The Company Admin User can update their company information at any time. The User Agreement, which every user must agree to, specifies that subscribers are obligated to maintain accurate information about their companies. We have two additional tools to remind users to update their accounts:
- Several times a year we send e-mail reminders to users to update their accounts.
- When users have trouble reaching a supplier's contact, our HTML prompt lets them easily inform us about a problem so that we can take steps to correct it.
Who is responsible for the content at each account?
Each user bears sole responsibility for the accuracy and timeliness of the content of his web pages.
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Technical Questions
Are there any special hardware or software requirements for using RestorePower?
No. All you need is a standard PC, Internet connection, and browser software.
Is there a limit to the number of users?
The standard utility subscription includes 15 user-IDs. Additional user-Ids are available at a nominal administrative charge.
Are training or change management services available to accommodate this web site in utility processes?
RestorePower is a very user-friendly system, providing for easy point and click navigation of the site. More extensive training and change management services are available on request from RestorePower.
Is there a help desk available to support RestorePower?
Yes. Our help desk is available during normal business hours, and at least one member of the management team is on-call 24 hours per day, 365 days per year. In addition, our staff monitors in-coming e-mails and usually responds to them in less than 24 hours.
My Account is not accepting updated information
Ordinarily, RestorePower should immediately display any changes made to your account. If your browser is displaying outdated account information, trying clicking your browser's refresh button. You should also ensure that your browser is configured to accept cookies for RestorePower to work correctly. If you are still encountering problems, please contact us.
Which web browsers can I use to access this web site?
You can use most of the popular web browsers such as Netscape or Microsoft Internet Explorer. You need to use at least versions 4.0 of each browser type in order to be able to use this web site effectively. The site should be able to work on older browsers, but as these browser versions become more outdated, sometimes they lose some of their functionality. You can download the latest versions of Netscape or Microsoft from their download sites.
Why do I get "could not perform this operation because default mail client not properly installed" when using the online email forms?
Internet Explorer no longer has a "built-in" email feature. Microsoft has removed this feature. You must now link your Browser to your separate Email Program.
How do I get the most out of this site?
It is important that you use Netscape Navigator version 4.6 or Microsoft Internet Explorer version 5.0 or higher. If you are using one of these leading browsers, check the Options or Preferences on your web browser and ensure that Java or Javascript is enabled.
The drop down menu is not working; how can I make it work?
If the Drop Down Menu is not responding when you click on it, it usually means you do not have your Java and JavaScript enabled. To enable your Java and JavaScript when using Netscape's Navigator 4.61 or higher, click Edit on the top of your screen and the click Preferences. On the box that comes up, select Advanced on the left-hand side. After clicking Advanced on the right hand side of the box, place check marks in both the Enable Java and the Enable Java Script boxes. When using Internet Explorer 5.0, go to the Tools menu on your browsers' toolbar. Select Internet Options, and place a check mark in both Enable Java Jit compiler and Enable Java logging boxes.
What are "cookies"? Should I be concerned about them being downloaded to my computer?
"Cookies" are a very misunderstood concept. In a technical sense, a cookie is simply an HTTP header with a line of text. This text allows our server to immediately recognize your submitted profile each time you log on the site. This is the reason you do not have to submit your user name and password each time you log on. Our servers will periodically send you cookies that are stored on your hard drive for future use (unless it is a temporary cookie, which disappears at the end of your current session on the website). Because your browser saves cookies to your hard disk, some people get the impression that they are dangerous: the truth is that a cookie can neither read your hard drive nor be used as a virus. No server other than the one that sent you the cookie can read it. Once more, you can delete them from your hard drive (file called "cookies") any time you wish.
What display settings work best with this site? How do I adjust my display settings?
For optimal viewing of the web site, your display settings should be set to 800 by 600 pixels. If you are experiencing difficulty viewing the site, you may need to resize your display settings. In most cases adjustments are not necessary.
Why does my browser only load part of the screen and then stop loading?
If you are using Internet Explorer 5.0 and your pages appear to be loading part of the page and stopping, you may need a Patch from Microsoft to resolve this problem. Click on this link to download the patch.
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