Westar Energy

A fast-moving storm leaves behind damage in Topeka.  Homeowners are left with a mess to clean up after the storm moved through late Wednesday. Several trees were snapped and were carried across lawns, and some porches were completely ripped off. Westar Energy restored power to the neighborhood after power lines were knocked over. No injuries were reported.

Homes in Northeast Wichita were without power Monday morning. Westar energy says 1,369 people lost power aournd 9:20 a.m. Westar says the majority of their customers had their power back on within 30 minutes. As of 11:00 a.m. there are still around 50 homes without power. Westar says the power outage was most likely caused by transformer problems.

A transformer fire left nearly 400 homes without power on Wichita's west side. It happened at 29th & Ridge around 11:30 this morning. A spokesperson for Westar Energy says an electric switch caught fire, causing the transformer to fail. Power has since been restored for the majority of custemers in the area.  A reported 7 homes are still without power.

Westar Energy expects it will be Thursday before power is restored to all customers affected by a tornado that struck Wichita Saturday night.  “We located significant additional damage as we were working through some of the  hardest hit areas,” Bruce Akin, vice president, power delivery, said. “As people are aware, this was a destructive storm. We are  reconstructing lines that serve some areas in addition to the many repairs that are needed to restore power.” Westar has more than 400 personnel dedicated to restoring electrical service.  As of about 5 p.m. Monday, about 6,000 customers in Sedgwick remained without electricity.

Westar Energy customers who own a house 10 years or older can now assess its energy efficiency through a new HomeAudit pilot program. For just $100, homeowners can have a professional $300 audit performed that will provide them with a customized Energy Conservation Plan. Participants are eligible to receive a $100 rebate on the cost of the audit if they provide receipts showing they implemented at least $100 in improvements recommended in the Energy Conservation Plan. To participate, Westar Energy customers must: • Own a single-family home that is 10 years old or older (Mobile homes and apartments are not eligible to participate.)

Westar Energy reports power has been restored to more than 1,000 customers in the Maize and Valley Center areas. Westar says power went out because of an equipment failure just after nine o'clock Tuesday night. It was back on by 10:30 p.m. The outage comes just as crews restore power to 1,000 customers in Saline County, south of Salina. They were in the dark for about two hours because of an equipment failure.   Expect updates online, on Twitter ( http://www.

Westar Energy will be at the Salvation Army office on August first to talk with customers who may have trouble paying their big energy bill in this summer's heat wave. The company will have people there to talk with customers about options, including setting up payment plans. Westar is planning similar events in other cities, including El Dorado, Abilene and Newton. You can see the full schedule of Westar meetings at the related link.

Westar Energy says that in December it will begin surveying selected transmission lines, measuring the height of these lines. The project will involve helicopters flying along routes, sometimes as low as 300 to 350 feet above the ground. Helicopter passengers will use a variety of methods in the project including laser measurement, photography and coordination with teams working on the ground. Work will be performed throughout December in and around Junction City, Lawrence, Lenexa, Manhattan, Olathe, Salina, Topeka and Wichita as well as rural areas.

The Edison Electric Institute today honored Westar Energy with the association’s “Emergency Assistance Award” for outstanding efforts in restoring electric service to Oklahomans following a massive ice storm in late January 2010. The award is presented annually to U.S. and foreign-based member companies to recognize an outstanding response in restoring electric service to a neighboring or nearby utility company that has been disrupted by severe weather conditions or other natural events.

Westar Energy, Inc. announced today that it has filed a request with the Kansas Corporation Commission (KCC) to increase its base prices about 5.85 percent. Westar says it is seeking to increase its base prices recover the increased costs of providing electric service to customers. “Our customers and our state depend on reliable electric infrastructure. Unfortunately the cost of keeping our system reliable has gone up,” Mark Ruelle, Westar Energy chief executive officer, said.