Nov 12, 2024 | Community Involvement
Powering our communities goes beyond delivering the safe and reliable electricity you depend on every day. We don’t just work in our communities; we also live and raise our families in cities and towns across our territory.
Here are just a handful of events that helped our communities throughout the year:
We started 2024 in the Lehigh Valley by reading to children at Brigadier General Anna Mae Hays Elementary School for Read Across America and Black History Month events, fostering the importance of education for our local children.
During Earth Month, our employees planted trees in Harrisburg, Bethlehem and across Lycoming County to help preserve the environment.
In June, more than 60 of our interns participated in our annual Intern Impact Day by cleaning classrooms and assembling bikes for young riders in Allentown.
To help charge an exciting future for students, we helped the Steelton-Highspire and Bethlehem Area school districts roll out their first EV buses.
But our favorite event of the year was our Annual Day of Caring in September. More than 460 of our employees assisted 20 nonprofit organizations and sites by cleaning, painting, packing food and planting trees.
We know how important it is to give back. And while we’re happy to have made a positive impact in 2024, we’re looking forward to doing even more in 2025.
For more about our community involvement, see how we’re working behind the scenes to power the moments that matter this holiday season: pplelectric.com/HappyHolidays.
Oct 10, 2024 | Customer Service
Customer Service Week is a time to recognize the heart of our customer experience— our Customer Service Representatives (CSRs) and Associates (CSAs).
So far this year, we have received over 7.4 million customer interactions across various channels. Of these interactions, 1,183,980 were calls answered by our dedicated representatives.
These frontline employees are essential to our operation, caring for customers and resolving issues with compassion, patience and professionalism day in and day out.
To conclude this year’s National Customer Service Week, we’d like to highlight a specific role that requires lots of knowledge and experience.
Our team of Senior CSRs bridge the gap between supervisors and associates, helping each other and customers simultaneously. They offer their peers support on complicated issues and reinforce processes when they’re unsure how to handle a particular scenario. They also speak directly with customers on complex problems, even calling them back personally to follow-up.
Meet two of our Senior CSRs!
Dana is from the Lehigh Valley and has worked at PPL Electric for 25 years! When speaking with our customers, she strives to resolve their issues, while demonstrating genuine empathy and care.
Val is from our Scranton area and has worked at PPL Electric for 37 years! She takes pride in listening to customers’ concerns and offering actionable solutions. She especially enjoys providing assistance to our elderly callers.
We truly appreciate Dana and Val’s tenure and commitment to our customers. Whether you’ve had the pleasure of speaking with them over the phone, or one of our other dedicated representatives, we hope your questions were answered and you enjoyed the interaction.
Happy Customer Service Week to all those working in the service industry!
Jul 30, 2024 | Customer Service
We’re committed to managing prices and securing the lowest cost of energy for our customers. That’s why our Price to Compare or PPL Electric default rate, changes twice per year on June 1 and December 1.
We deliver your electricity, but we don’t own the power plants where it is generated. So if you don’t shop, we pass along the supply cost without markup, at the Price to Compare. This June, it decreased to 10.040¢ per kWh for residential customers and 9.237¢ per kWh for businesses.
However, taking control of your electricity supply rate doesn’t have to be intimidating. You can shop around for an alternative supplier that offers the service, energy source and price that’s right for you. When you sign up with a new supplier, they’ll notify us to make the switch.
We encourage you to check the price you’re paying for electricity supply, compare offers from suppliers and use the Price to Compare as a reference point to see if you’re getting the best deal. You can compare supplier offers at papowerswitch.com.
Check out this video to learn more about smart shopping:
We also offer a variety of ways to manage your bill, track your electricity use and save money.
May 30, 2024 | Storms and Outages
Summer is on the horizon, which often means severe weather, including thunder and lightning. But even with the best preparation, storms or lightning strikes may cause outages. We’re prepared to respond to any storms that hit our area this summer and always. And if outages occur, we’ll work around the clock as safely and quickly as possible to get your lights back on.
Watch this video to learn more about how we prepare.
We want you and your family to be prepared for storms as well.
Here are a few tips to stay safe during summer storms.
When thunder roars, go indoors!
Did you know: According to the National Weather Service, lightning strikes the United States about 25 million times per year?
If the sky looks threatening or you hear thunder, even in the distance, immediately seek shelter. The safest place during a thunder and lightning storm is in an enclosed permanent building or metal-topped vehicle with all doors and windows closed. Outdoor tents or gazebos will not keep you safe from a lightning strike.
Before a storm:
- Prepare an emergency kit with food, water, medication, flashlights and pet supplies.
- Charge your phones and devices.
- Purchase power strips with lightning arrestors or surge protectors for your appliances and electronics.
- Adjust your alert preferences to stay informed in case of an outage at pplelectric.com/alerts.
During a storm:
- Stay away from utility poles and metal conductors.
- Electric and plumbing equipment may carry lightning current. Avoid using any appliances or electronics plugged into an electrical outlet.
- Don’t use water to wash dishes or take a shower.
- Stay away from windows and doors.
- Report an outage, or check the status of an outage, at pplelectric.com/outage.
- And finally, remember to stay indoors for at least 30 minutes after thunder stops.
Source: lightningsafetycouncil.org
Feb 13, 2024 | Storms and Outages
Power outage? Text “outage” to “TXTPPL” (898775) or report it here.
Tuesday’s winter storm caused extensive damage across our territory, with heavy, wet snow bringing down tree branches and wires and resulting in power outages across our territory. We understand it’s especially difficult to be without electricity during a winter snowstorm.
We’ll continue to post updates on this page to keep you informed on our restoration efforts. You can also adjust your outage alert preferences at pplelectric.com/alerts. If you experience an outage, report it at pplelectric.com/outage or text “Outage” to TXTPPL.
Update: February 15, 2024 (8 a.m.)
Our team worked through the night to continue restoring power to customers who were out as a result of Tuesday’s winter storm.
At 8 a.m., we had 7,285 customers remaining without power, and restored a total of 154,815 since the start of the storm. We anticipate we’ll wrap up these restoration efforts by 11 p.m. today and restore power to all remaining customers.
Warming Centers Available
If you’re without power there may be a warming center open in your area. Please call any of the locations below for more info and hours of operation. Stay safe and take advantage of these warming centers, if needed.
Dauphin County
Hillside Christian Fellowship
807 State Street, Millersburg PA 17061
717 692-0986
Grace United Methodist Church
982 Medical Road, Millersburg, PA 17061
717-692-2838
Hummelstown Fire Co.
249 East Main Street, Hummelstown, PA 17036
717-566-8574
Gratz Community Center
125 S Center Street, Gratz, PA 17048
Contact Borough employees for access
Schuylkill County
Tremont Fire Co.
21 Middlecreek Road, Tremont PA 17981
570-695-3915
Hegins Area Ambulance Building
352 Gap St. Valley View, PA 17983
570-682-3598
West Penn Fire Co.
21 Municipal Road, New Ringgold, PA 17960
570-386-8866
Orwin Fire Co.
323 Dietrich Avenue, Tower City, PA 17980
717-647-9383
Citizen’s Fire Co.
29 Washington Street, Middleport, PA 17953
570-277-0193
Community Fire Co.
2206 E Main St, Sacramento, PA 17968
570-682-3177
Update: February 14, 2024 (5 p.m.)
We’ll be working through the night to restore power to customers out as a result of Tuesday’s winter storm. We’re on track to restore the remaining customers by 11 p.m. Thursday evening.
As of 4 p.m., we have approximately 20,000 customers still without power, and since the start of the storm, have restored more than 132,000 customers.
Update: February 14, 2024 (1 p.m.)
We continue to work on restoring power to customers who lost power during Tuesday’s winter storm.
As of 1 p.m., there were 25,345 customers remaining out of power, with 125,807 customers restored since the start of the storm.
We’re maximizing resources and estimate the majority of customers, even those in the hardest hit areas, will be restored by 11 p.m. Thursday evening.
Update: February 14, 2024 (8 a.m.)
Our team has worked through the night to continue restoring power to customers impacted by Tuesday’s winter storm.
At 8 a.m., there were approximately 30,379 customers without power. Since the start of the storm, we’ve restored power to 120,129 customers and our crews will work around-the-clock until all customers are restored.
Update: February 13, 2024 (8 p.m.)
Our team has worked through the day to restore power to 97,463 customers since the start of the storm. As of 8 p.m., there were approximately 52,639 customers out of power.
Crews and assessors are still uncovering damage, including trees and wires down across the territory. We advise customers to always assume a downed or low-hanging wire is energized and stay away. Please remember to call us to report these issues at 1-800-342-5775.
We’ll continue working through the night to repair damage and restore power.
Update: February 13, 2024 (5 p.m.)
Our team has worked through the day to restore power to 90,460 customers since the start of the storm. As of 5 p.m., there were approximately 56,140 customers out of power.
Crews will continue working overnight to repair damage and restore power. Because of the scope of repairs, full restoration could take through Thursday for some customers, although many customers will get power restored sooner, as crews work around the clock to repair damage.
As crews are dispatched to specific jobs within each region, customers may receive updated ERTs.
- Northeast: This region saw the least amount of damage, so all customers impacted should have individual ERTs with restoration times scattered throughout today.
- Lehigh: 11 p.m. on Wednesday, February 14
- Lancaster: 11 p.m. on Wednesday, February 14
- Central/Susquehanna: 3 p.m. on Thursday, February 15
- Harrisburg: 11 p.m. on Thursday, February 15
Cold Weather Safety
- As temperatures drop this evening, we want our customers to stay safe. This is going to be a multi-day restoration effort for some.
- We encourage customers who have medical conditions requiring electricity to make arrangements to relocate, contact 911 or visit a local hospital in case of an emergency.
- We prioritize restoring power to critical infrastructure, such as nursing homes, hospitals, schools and municipal utilities to ensure safety for the general public.
- Safety is a core value for us. We urge customers to keep safety top of mind when staying warm.
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- If you’re using a generator, please be sure to follow the manufacturer’s guidelines for operation and take heed of any warnings. This includes making sure you use the proper fuel for the generator and only add fuel when the generator is cool. Make sure to inspect the generator before each use to ensure it’s in good working order. Generators should never be used in an enclosed area or placed inside a home or business. Keep them away from windows and vents that could allow carbon monoxide to sneak inside. Even though you will be using the generator outside, make sure that your home has battery-operated carbon monoxide detectors that are in good, working condition.
Update: February 13, 2024 (noon)
As of 11 a.m., there were approximately 92,365, out of our nearly 1.5 million customers out of power. Since the start of the storm, we’ve restored approximately 46,500 customers.
Because of the significant damage, we’re expecting this to be a multi-day restoration effort. We’ve called in more than 100 additional resources to supplement our crews. This includes line workers, foresters, damage assessors, electricians and call center staff.
We’re assessing damage and have assigned estimated restoration times for areas in our territory. Because of the scope of repairs, full restoration could take through Thursday for some customers, although many customers will get power restored sooner, as crews work around the clock to repair damage.
As crews are dispatched to specific jobs within each region, customers may receive updated ERTs.
- Northeast: This region saw the least amount of damage, so all customers impacted should have individual ERTs with restoration times scattered throughout today.
- Lehigh: 11 p.m. on Wednesday, February 14
- Lancaster: 11 p.m. on Wednesday, February 14
- Central/Susquehanna: 3 p.m. on Thursday, February 15
- Harrisburg: 11 p.m. on Thursday, February 15
We’ll continue working around-the-clock until all customers have power restored. Stay safe!
