Company offers tips for customers to manage
rising temperatures and energy costs
ERIE,
Pa., June 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- With the hot,
humid summer months expected to produce higher electric usage and
potentially severe weather, Penelec, a FirstEnergy Corp. (NYSE: FE)
subsidiary, is completing inspections and conducting proactive
equipment maintenance across its 31-county northern and central
Pennsylvania service area to help
enhance service reliability for customers.
"We proactively inspect and maintain our equipment to help
ensure our system is prepared for increased electrical demand when
temperatures soar," said Scott
Wyman, president of FirstEnergy's Pennsylvania operations. "These important
steps help to minimize the length and impact of service
interruptions should summer storms cause power outages."
Penelec crews are wrapping up inspections of its local energy
delivery system to ensure electrical equipment is ready to perform
reliably with elevated summer electrical demand, typically due to
air conditioning usage.
Substation electricians use thermovision cameras during
summer-readiness inspections to capture infrared images, helping to
detect potential problems within substations and on power lines
that cannot be observed during regular visual
inspections. These images can identify equipment issues such
as loose connections, corrosion and load imbalances, and utility
workers are able to make repairs to prevent potential power outages
in the future.
In addition, helicopter patrols have completed inspections of
more than 2,500 miles of power lines owned by Mid-Atlantic
Interstate Transmission, LLC (MAIT), a FirstEnergy transmission
subsidiary, located in the Penelec area. The inspections are
designed to look for damaged wire, broken cross arms and other
hardware problems not visible from the ground. Any potential
reliability issues identified during the inspections will be
addressed.
Penelec is also trimming trees in communities across its eastern
Pennsylvania service area.
Maintaining proper clearances around electrical equipment can help
reduce the frequency and duration of tree-related power outages,
especially those associated with severe weather. Since the
beginning of the year, tree contractors have trimmed along about
1,600 miles of power lines in the Penelec service area and remain
on schedule to complete an additional 2,200 miles of work by year
end.
A team of Penelec and FirstEnergy employees will be conducting
storm readiness exercises and drills in the near future to test
Penelec's restoration process used to repair storm-related power
outages. Storm drills are becoming more common in the utility
industry in the wake of severe weather over the last several
years.
With the summer storm season also comes higher-than-usual
temperatures and rising energy costs. Customers can take steps to
beat the heat while also managing their electricity bill this
summer. The following tips can help customers use electricity
wisely during this period of high demand:
- Set thermostats as high as comfort will allow. Every degree a
customer can increase the temperature in their home will result in
using about 3% less energy during the summer.
- Use fans – moving air cools skin faster, resulting in greater
comfort on hot days.
- During sunny weather, close drapes or blinds on windows facing
the sun to prevent direct radiant heating from impacting interior
temperatures.
- Use a programmable or smart thermostat to keep temperatures
higher when no one is home and to reduce the temperature before
arrival back home.
- Seal any leaks with caulk or weather stripping to prevent hot
air from sneaking into your home.
- Check air conditioner and furnace fan filters. Clogged filters
waste energy and money by forcing HVAC systems to work harder than
necessary.
- Avoid using heat-producing appliances during the hottest hours
of the day. The less heat produced at home, the less work the air
conditioner must do.
- Payment arrangements and assistance programs are available for
customers who need help with their electric bills. For more
information, visit www.firstenergycorp.com/billassist.
Penelec serves approximately 588,000 customers within 17,600
square miles of northern and central Pennsylvania. Follow Penelec on Twitter
@Penelec and on Facebook at
www.facebook.com/PenelecElectric.
FirstEnergy is dedicated to integrity, safety, reliability and
operational excellence. Its 10 electric distribution companies form
one of the nation's largest investor-owned electric systems,
serving customers in Ohio,
Pennsylvania, New Jersey, West
Virginia, Maryland and
New York. The company's
transmission subsidiaries operate approximately 24,000 miles of
transmission lines that connect the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic
regions. Follow FirstEnergy online at www.firstenergycorp.com and
on Twitter @FirstEnergyCorp.
Editor's Note: Photos of workers conducting
thermovision inspections to enhance service reliability for
FirstEnergy customers are available for download on Flickr. A video
of utility personnel conducting a thermovision inspection and
explaining the work can be found on the company's YouTube
channel.
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SOURCE FirstEnergy Corp.