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Home / Your Cooperative / Current Light Flashes

Current Light Flashes

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Understanding Power Surges & Blinks

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Have you ever noticed your lights blink during a thunderstorm? Or perhaps you’ve noticed a blinking microwave clock when you arrive home. When this happens, you’ve likely experienced a brief disruption to your electric service, which could result from a power surge or blink. While the symptoms of surges and blinks can appear similar, what’s happening behind the scenes can be quite different.

What’s a power surge? Power surges are brief overvoltage spikes or disturbances of a power waveform that can damage, degrade or destroy electronic equipment within your home or business. Most electronics are designed to handle small variations in voltage; however, power surges can reach amplitudes of tens of thousands of volts––this can be extremely damaging to your electronic equipment.

Surges can be caused by internal sources, like HVAC systems with variable frequency drives, or external sources, like lightning and damage to power lines and transformers.

WFEC encourages all members to install surge protective devices (such as surge protector power strips) to safeguard your sensitive electronics. If you’re experiencing frequent surges in your home or business and you believe the cause is internal, contact a qualified electrician to inspect your electrical system.

What’s a power blink? Power blinks are also brief service interruptions, but they’re typically caused by a fault (short circuit) on a power line or a protective device that’s working in reaction to the fault. Faults can occur through a variety of instances, like squirrels, birds or other small animals contacting an energized power line; tree branches touching a power line; or lightning and other similar events. In fact, when it comes to power disruptions caused by critters, squirrels reign supreme. In 2019 alone, squirrels were responsible for more than 1,200 outages. Squirrel guard devices can be installed in highly populated areas but it is not economically feasible to install these devices throughout our service territory.


Any of the events noted above can cause your power to blink, but you may also experience a brief interruption when protective devices that act like circuit breakers are working to detect the fault. Believe it or not, these brief power blinks caused by protective devices are actually good because that means the equipment is working as it should to prevent a prolonged outage.

Regardless of the cause, WFEC crews will be on their way to inspect the damage and make necessary repairs if a power outage occurs. And you can help too! Any time you experience repeated disruptions to your electric service, please let us know by calling the cooperative to let us know.

Photo: In 2019 alone, squirrels were responsible for more than 1,200 power outages.

Photo credit: Carina Hofmeister

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Your Bill

  • Pay Your Bill Online
  • Understanding Your Bill
  • Ways To Pay Your Bill
  • Ways to Reduce Your Bill
  • View Your Account
  • Modify Your Account
  • Levelize Your Bill
  • EZ Pay Power (Prepaid)

Your Electric Service

  • Apply for Service
  • Disconnect Your Service
  • Transfer Your Service
  • Mobile Apps
  • Text Power
  • Service Requirements
  • View Current Outages
  • Dual Service Requirements
  • Line Extension
  • Tree Trimming/Right-of-Way

Your Cooperative

  • Mobile Apps
  • Products and Services
  • Hurricane Preparedness
  • Medically Essential Service
  • GenerLink™ Transfer Switch
  • Current Light Flashes
  • Capital Credits
  • Electrical Safety
  • Youth Tour Competition
  • West Florida Electric Scholarship
  • Empower Energy Education Workshop
  • The Cooperative Difference
  • Economic Development
  • WFEC Member Survey
  • Solar Energy
  • Outdoor Lighting
  • Co-ops Vote
  • Community Involvement

Save Energy, Save Money

  • Relief Agencies Assisting with Bill Payments
  • Energy Audits
  • Manufactured Home Program
  • Heat Pump Rebates
  • Energy Efficiency Loan Program
  • ChooseEV Electric Vehicle Resources
  • Customized Home Energy Report
  • DIY Energy Savings Tools
  • Together We Save

About Us

  • Careers
  • Board of Trustees
  • Board Meeting Minutes
  • Touchstone Energy
  • Executive Staff
  • History
  • Company Overview
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