Although they don’t happen often, there’s always one question about outages — how long? With Gulf Power’s new power outage alert system, customers will be able to get those answers. You can sign up for free to receive texts, emails or telephone calls when a power outage occurs at a home or business.

Customers can register for outage alerts on their cell phone by texting REG to MyGulf (694853) and will receive a text back to confirm the registration. Customers can also use the Preference Center in the My Account area of MyGulfPower.com, where they can choose whether to receive texts, emails or phone calls. Once they log into their account, they will see a link on the left-hand side of the page for “Set Outage Alerts.”

“We will send alerts whenever there is a power outage at a customer’s home or business,” said Natalie Smith, Gulf Power spokesperson. “They will receive an estimated time for when the power will be restored and a text when power is back on.”

The alert system works in tandem with Gulf Power’s new power outage app, which also pushes outage information to a customer’s smartphone or tablet. The app provides links to report an outage, check on its status or go straight to Gulf Power’s outage map. In addition, the app has links to Gulf Power news as well as the company’s three social media channels: Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.

Between April 29 and May 1 during the recent severe storm and flood event, online views of the Gulf Power outage map totaled more than 105,000 from more than 22,000 visitors. In comparison, the outage map had only 29,000 views from less than 10,000 visitors for the entire month of March.

“This is the kind of service you won’t need often thanks to our power grid’s high reliability,” Smith said, “but it’s a good idea to go ahead and download the app or sign up for our outage alerts before hurricane season.”

For questions, please call Gulf Power’s Customer Care Center at 1-800-225-5797. Stay in touch with Gulf Power on the company’s Facebook page for announcements about more new online features.

Gulf Power Company is an investor-owned electric utility with all of its common stock owned by Atlanta-based Southern Company. Gulf Power serves more than 436,000 customers in eight counties throughout Northwest Florida. The company’s mission is to safely provide exceptional customer value by delivering reliable, affordable and environmentally responsible electricity while strengthening our communities. Visit online at MyGulfPower.com or on the company’s Facebook page, “Gulf Power Company.”