PPL Electric Utilities

January 2022 Residential Connect

There’s always room to save

Colder winter temperatures can mean more energy use and higher bills. We’re here to help. If you’re struggling with your electric bills, you have options that can ease the burden:

Shut down your monitor. Avoid screensavers and switch to sleep mode or shut your monitor off so it can run cooler and last longer.
Seal hidden leaks. Air can escape around windows, doors, skylights, and other openings. If you add up all the hidden air leaks in your home, it would be equivalent to keeping a window fully open all year long! Check your window and door trims and seal them up.
Light up your desk. Changing incandescent bulbs to ENERGY STAR® LEDs is an easy step to save on your energy bill and help the environment. Better yet, open your blinds and use natural daylight for all or part of the day.

Here are a few more tips to save energy throughout every room in your home:

Use smart power strips. Electronics and appliances that are in “idle” mode, or are turned off but still plugged in, draw power and waste energy. Smart power strips that have timers, sense when you’re in the room, or sense electric current, can reduce costs.

Power down. Turn off TVs, printers, and speakers when you’re not using them.

Check your ceiling fans. During the winter, run your ceiling fans in a clockwise direction at the lowest speed to force warm air down into your living space.

Keep the air flowing. Make sure that rugs, drapes, or furniture are not blocking airflow to heating registers or baseboard heaters.

From basements and attics to plumbing insulation and windows, there are opportunities to save hiding in every room of your home. We’re here with resources and rebates on lighting, heating, power strips, and more. Visit savewithppl.com to get started.

Shop smart and save

The rising cost of natural gas means the price of energy supply is up. In Pennsylvania, you can shop for the supplier that’s right for you. Now’s a good time to shop around and save. For tools and tips, visit pplelectric.com/shopsmart.

If you have an overdue balance, there are programs and payment agreements that can help. Visit pplelectric.com/billhelp today to check out your options.

Innovation to improve reliability

When there’s a problem — or a fault — on a power line, it can cause power outages for our customers. But thanks to a game-changing new system, these problems impact fewer customers than ever. The new system, created by our own engineering teams and vendor partners, uses smart devices that interrupt faults remotely. They’re called “vacuum reclosers.”

We place them on power lines to monitor the flow of electricity. When a sensor on a line detects a problem, the nearest recloser automatically cuts power from that point in the line. Instead of every customer on the line losing power, only customers downstream of the recloser device are impacted. Then, our crews work as safely and quickly as possible to restore power to everyone who is out.

In November 2021, we installed the first vacuum recloser on a transmission line and plan to install more of these devices at locations that will provide the most benefit to our customers.

This is just one example of our commitment to innovate and invest in technologies that improve reliability.

Pictured: Three of the PPL Electric senior engineers who worked on the project. Left-right: Matt Donaldson, Jonathan Tsoi, and John Sonnelitter.

Outages are for the birds

Another way we innovate for reliability is by designing our equipment to minimize the potential for outages. Here’s an example: Did you know that bird droppings can conduct electricity and damage the insulators that connect wires to our poles? It’s true. That’s why we implemented a new umbrella-shaped insulator design. It acts as a shield to protect the insulators from being covered in bird droppings.

Stay winter storm safe

Winter is here. Here are three electrical safety tips to keep in mind when the snow starts piling up.

Keep generators far from buildings and don’t operate them in confined spaces, like a garage or basement.
Charge your phones and other devices before any storm so they are fully powered if you need them.
If you see a wire on the ground, stay away. Then call 1-800-342-5775 and say "downed power line" to report it.

Service at your fingertips

Have you visited pplelectric.com lately? It’s easier than ever to manage your account online without having to pick up the phone. Plus, it’s mobile friendly. Check it out today!