In 2017 a substation fault left more than 5,000 customers in Junction City and Harrisburg without power, NBC16 reported. During the January 2024 ice storm, Pacific Power had restored 60% of its Junction City and Coburg area customers by its January 15 update and warned that some outages could run into midweek.
Generator hookups and standby generators
There are two ways to keep a house running in an outage. A generator hookup puts a plug-in box on the outside wall and a transfer switch or an interlock at the panel. An interlock is a sliding plate that keeps the main breaker and the generator breaker from being on at the same time. You roll out a portable generator, plug in one cord, and switch over the circuits you need. A standby generator sits on a pad beside the house and starts by itself when the power drops. We'll go through what each one would run in your house and price them side by side.
When the panel comes first
An old panel may have no empty slots, or no way to fit an interlock, and then a panel upgrade is part of the generator job. Older houses are common in town: close to half of Junction City's 2,987 homes were built before 1980, according to the Census Bureau's American Community Survey. While we're there, we also replace worn outlets and switches and track down circuits that keep tripping.
If you already own a portable generator, its rated watts decide what it can run at the same time, so send us the model with your request and we'll match the hookup to it.
Pacific Power and EPUD
Pacific Power serves the Junction City area, and EPUD serves parts of it. The programs differ, so check which one is on your bill before you buy a heat pump or a charger. See the Pacific Power guide or the Emerald PUD guide.
Electrical permits inside city limits come from the Junction City Building Department in the Public Works Building at 1171 Elm Street, whose building official also serves Harrisburg. Lane County covers the area just outside city limits.