Dec 14, 2020 | Safety and Security
Whether you love winter, hate it, or simply don’t give a snowflake, we want you to stay safe when a winter storm strikes. ❄️
Electrical safety is just part of the story when the snow starts piling up. We’re ready to safely respond to any resulting power outages. The question is: Are you prepared to stay safe – at home and on the road?
Here are 10 ways to stay safe when Mother Nature really brings the snow.
Snow Removal
- Don’t wear loose clothing, like scarves, that can get pulled into a snow blower’s moving parts.
- Always turn off your snow blower, or unplug it if it’s an electric model, before clearing a clog at the auger or discharge chute.
- Start and run your snow blower outside, never in a garage or enclosed space where carbon monoxide can accumulate.
- If you have a history of heart problems, or you’re inactive, check with your doctor before shoveling. And stretch beforehand to prevent muscle injuries.
- Dress in layers and drink plenty of water to stay hydrated. It’s not a race. Take breaks if you get tired.
Driving
- If you don’t have to travel – stay home. Winter weather causes about a half million crashes each year, resulting in over 2,000 deaths.
- If you must drive, slow down, accelerate and decelerate slowly, and increase your following distance to 5 or 6 seconds.
- Going long distance? Let others know your destination, route, and estimated arrival time. Pack a kit that includes blankets and heavy clothing for emergencies, along with extra food and water.
- If you’re stuck, stay with your vehicle. If necessary, clear the exhaust pipe to eliminate deadly carbon monoxide fumes from entering your vehicle. To conserve gas, run your car for short periods, just enough to remove the chill.
Electrical Safety
- Always stay clear of any downed power lines and call PPL at 1-800-342-5775 to report them. Assume any downed line is energized.
Sources: American Automobile Association; Consumer Reports; Mayo Clinic; PPL Electric Utilities
Nov 13, 2020 | Safety and Security
You hear a lot from us about utility scammers. Why is that?
Because they never take a day off. They’re always looking for the next opportunity to trick you into giving them money or your personal information. Often, they threaten to shut off your power if you don’t pay instantly.
That’s not how we operate at PPL. Ever. We may call you to discuss an overdue bill, but our goal is to help get you the assistance you need. We offer options, not ultimatums. Service will never be disconnected without advance written notice.
It’s always a good time to reinforce how you can avoid becoming a scam victim. These thieves want to catch you off guard and push you into doing something quickly. Don’t fall for it.
If you get a call, an email, or someone comes to your door, and you think it might be a scammer, slow down and use your senses. Look and listen closely. If something doesn’t seem right, call us at 1-800-342-5775 to verify anything someone tells you about your electric service or your account.
Be familiar with your account and account balance. Take time to check what you’re being told against your account at pplelectric.com or on your paper bill.
Another piece of advice: spread the word. ? If a scammer tries to target you, they may also try to target others in your community. Together, we can stop scams.
Learn more: Fraud & Deceptive Marketing
Nov 10, 2020 | Energy Efficiency
It’s not too late to prep your home for winter energy savings. All it takes is several small changes to achieve big savings for you and your family.
Capture the sun’s light and heat. During the day, leave your curtains and blinds open to illuminate your rooms naturally and gain warmth from the sun. At night, close your curtains and blinds to prevent that free heat from escaping.
Prevent fireplace heat loss. When you’re not using your fireplace, keep the damper closed so warm air doesn’t escape through the chimney. Energy-efficient fireplace grates also help you save by pulling cool air out of your room and into the fireplace, while bringing warm air back in the room.
Reverse the direction of your ceiling fans. Sometimes we forget that ceiling fans are just as important for keeping you warm as they are for keeping you cool. Flip the switch to change the direction of the blades so they spin clockwise, which will push warm air downward.
Adjust the thermostat according to the time of day. When you’re home and awake, set the heat as low as it feels comfortable. Aim for 68 degrees as an optimal temperature. Wearing warmer clothing or grabbing a blanket can help keep you cozy. Then, while you’re sleeping or out of the house, lower the thermostat by 10 to 15 degrees. Doing so for at least 8 hours can save around 10% on your heating bill. A programmable thermostat will make it easy to save. You also don’t have to heat all rooms equally. Using an energy-efficient space heater in your most common rooms allows you to keep the main temperature lower.
Winterize your windows and doors. First, if you haven’t removed any window air conditioning units, do that now! Next, you’ll want to inspect all your doors, windows and ductwork for gaps that could leak heat from your home. Many of these cracks and leaks can easily be fixed with caulk and weatherstripping, which can add up to a lot of savings.
Following these energy-efficiency tips can help you save. For more info on our tools, tips, and programs, visit savewithppl.com.
Oct 19, 2020 | Diversity/Equity/Inclusion
There’s strength in diversity. That’s why it’s important for us to build and sustain a diverse workforce. It’s the right thing to do, and it’s good business.
We also believe in promoting diversity outside of PPL. And we want to make sure the companies that supply us with products and services reflect our core value of diversity and inclusion.
We have a supplier diversity program to source and promote suppliers of all backgrounds, including businesses owned by women, people of color, LGBTQ individuals, veterans, and persons with disabilities.
The program is making an impact. Since 2016, our spending with diverse businesses has nearly tripled!
And the future looks bright. We recently named a new leader of our supplier diversity initiatives, Sandy Schrauger, and we’re committed to increasing our reliance on diverse suppliers in the years to come.
Is yours a diverse-owned business? Are you interested in partnering with us? Learn more about our Supplier Diversity Program.
Sep 28, 2020 | Customer Service
This year and the Coronavirus have brought on many new challenges for our communities. Since March, and the start of this global pandemic, we’ve connected with our customers millions of times. We knew our customers would depend on – and we delivered.
Here’s how we did it:
Over 6 million web self-service transactions — Doing business through our website accounts for the largest chunk of customer contacts. And why not? You can do so many things, including managing your account, applying for a payment agreement, learning great energy efficiency tips, and more.
Roughly 933,000 self-service transactions through our automated phone system — You can make a payment, report an outage, and even transfer your electric service in a few short minutes with our automated system.
Over 375,000 phone calls — Calling 1-800-DIAL-PPL is still a popular option among customers. Our representatives are always willing to help and give you the information you need, whether it’s about your bill, shopping for a supplier or updating your account preferences.
About 1,300 social media responses— Did you know we answer customer questions on Facebook and Twitter? We have a dedicated team ready to respond … and share the occasional WFH pet photos.
More than 3,600 chat interactions – Our dedicated chat agents are available to answer your questions as you navigate our website.
These numbers demonstrate our commitment to providing a remarkable experience, regardless of your preferred channel. Our goal is to make it as convenient as possible for you to conduct business with us- when and where you choose.
Whatever the remainder of 2020 throws our way – we’ll be here for you.
