Apr 19, 2022 | Environment
Last year, employees in our Lock Haven Service Center launched a recycling program for common materials found in everyday shipments. They partnered with other nearby service centers in Susquehanna, Sunbury, and Bloomsburg, to collect all kinds of recyclable plastic with their eyes set on reaching a 500 pound goal.
As an incentive for collecting 500 pounds of recyclable materials, Trex®, a manufacturer of wood alternative products, would provide us with a Trex® bench.
We’re pleased to announce that we met our goal and received our first Trex® bench!
Our employees wanted to share our commitment to the environment, by donating the bench to a local organization where it could be enjoyed by residents of the community. The team decided to donate it to the Clinton County Historical Society, and place it at the Castanea Train Station, which is also the trailhead of the popular Bald Eagle Valley rail trail.
Now, hikers, bikers, and runners can use the bench before or after their trip on the trail.
We’re continuing these recycling efforts at service centers across our territory and hope to donate a bench in each region.
Stay tuned for our progress!
Apr 12, 2022 | Energy Efficiency
There are opportunities to save on electricity throughout your home, and our energy efficiency programs and rebates can help get you started.
No contact, free home energy assessment
With a virtual home energy assessment, an expert energy advisor will evaluate your home’s energy consumption and recommend potential upgrades — all during a 30-minute phone conversation. Best of all, it’s free.
You’ll even receive a personalized energy savings kit — also free — with small, do-it-yourself upgrades. You may receive items like a smart power strip, high-efficiency showerhead, weatherstripping, or LED bulbs.
Visit pplelectric.com/virtualassessment to schedule or give us a call at 1-877-486-9204.
Get paid for your old fridge or freezer
Hanging onto an old fridge or freezer? If it still works, we’ll give you $50 for it. Plus, you can get $10 for each working dehumidifier or room air conditioner.
- Schedule a free curbside or in-home pickup.
- We’ll haul away and responsibly recycle your fridge or freezer and any other qualifying appliances.
- Receive $50 plus an additional $10 for each dehumidifier or room air conditioner.
Visit pplelectric.com/recycle to schedule your pickup.
Rebates for efficient upgrades
We offer rebates for qualifying heating and cooling equipment and other energy efficiency upgrades. The rebates apply to central air conditioners, dehumidifiers, heat pump water heaters, smart thermostats, pool pumps, and more. Visit pplelectric.com/equipment to learn more.
Instant discounts on specialty lighting
Switching out old light bulbs for ENERGY STAR® certified LEDs is one of the easiest ways to save energy. We provide instant discounts on select specialty lighting bulb packs at local retailers. Look for signs with the PPL Electric logo to find the discounts.
Comprehensive Retrofit Bonus
If you’ve already made your first energy efficiency update, you can take advantage of our Comprehensive Retrofit Bonus. Earn a bonus for completing two or three qualifying projects within a year. Check out pplelectric.com/retrofit for more details.
Mar 29, 2022 | Safety and Security
It’s a tradition that has been around since the early 1700s and every year, as the calendar flips to April, many prepare elaborate jokes to play on one another. But just as your zany siblings or friends attempted to fool you growing up, there are many people in this world today who are looking to fool you out of your hard-earned money.
That’s why we’re urging you to stay vigilant and prevent utility scammers who use deceptive tactics to fool you into giving up your money or switching to a higher-cost electricity supplier. Remember, scammers never take a day off and they are always looking for the next opportunity to trick you, whether it’s April Fools’ Day or not.
If you receive a call or email asking about your electric bill or electricity supplier, it’s important to make sure you know the warning signs of a scam. Here are a few things to look out for:
- Don’t give into threats: “We’ll shut off your service if you don’t pay us immediately.” Scammers say this, we don’t. If you are at risk of losing service, we’ll notify you and won’t surprise you with a phone call threatening imminent shutoff. Plus, we have programs and payment agreements to help pay your bill until you can catch up.
- Pay attention to payment methods: We will never require you to pay with a gift card, prepaid card, Bitcoin or other cryptocurrency.
- Watch out for spam: Today’s scammers will use lookalike logos or trademarks to fool you. So, when you open an email, be sure it’s coming from us before you click on anything.
- Don’t always trust caller ID: Scammers can make it look like a phone call is coming from our phone number. If you suspect the caller might not really be us, hang up immediately and verify your account information at pplelectric.com.
Sometimes, scammers knock on doors or could even confront you while in a public place. If a marketer stops you, remember the following tips:
- We’re not salespeople: We do not market or sell supplier services door-to-door. If a solicitor claims to represent PPL Electric, tell them you’re busy and can’t speak. Then contact us directly. Most importantly, don’t provide any personal information to them.
- Take your time: As part of intimidation tactics, scammers may press you to act quickly. Stop, slow down and end the conversation. Reach out to us directly to confirm any details mentioned during the conversation or the status of your bill.
- Ask for identification: All of our employees carry an ID badge and are required to show you their ID when asked. So, if they can’t produce a badge, shut the door.
Whether it’s an email, phone call or knock at the door, it never hurts to be mindful. Combine these general tips with those mentioned above to avoid scams:
- Update your PPL Electric account with a security PIN or password and never give it to anyone who calls you. That way, when you call us, we can ask for your PIN or password to make sure it’s really you and you’re authorized to talk about the account.
- Sign up for an online account at pplelectric.com to always have access to your information. You can sign up in three easy steps and view your bill status, electricity supplier information, overall usage and more.
- Remember, we deliver your power, but in Pennsylvania you can shop around for the electricity supplier that is right for you. Find helpful shopping tips and information you can use to get started at pplelectric.com/shopsmart.
The best way to prevent yourself from falling victim to a scam is to stay informed and be vigilant. And, if anything seems even slightly off about a situation, feel free to get in touch with us. For more information and tips about utility scams, visit pplelectric.com/scams.
Mar 29, 2022 | Safety and Security
When it comes to electricity, no one knows more about how it works – and, more importantly, how to stay safe around it – than illustrious superhero Captain Wattage.
Just ask the hundreds of children across our service territory that saw him in action this spring.
Approximately 5,500 children in schools across central and eastern Pennsylvania saw our latest sponsored theater program designed to give long-lasting lessons about electrical safety.
The program, shown to students via livestream, featured Captain Wattage, who faces off against nemesis Vivica Voltage, who tries to get people to be unsafe around electricity. Through a series of lessons and with the help from Lineman Larry, Captain Wattage teaches how electricity is made, the uses of electricity, while identifying dangerous situations and how to stay safe around electricity.
It marks the seventh year that we’ve provided the program to schools in the communities we serve. To date, more than 120,000 elementary school children at more than 300 schools across PA have seen the program.
The online show is supplemented by student playbooks, posters and an e-learning package including games, e-books, hands-on lessons, and assessments for educators. We sponsor every aspect of the program, making Captain Wattage a cost-free supplement to lessons in science, literacy, and the arts taught by schools today.
For more information about electrical safety for kids, including games and activities please visit pplelectric.com/safety.
Mar 25, 2022 | Safety and Security
Are you planting any trees or shrubs this spring? If so, are you planning to call 811 before you start digging?
If you think a hole being dug for trees or plants isn’t enough to make the free 811 call, you may be wrong.
Some utilities could be buried inches below ground. And, unfortunately, about one in five people who dig don’t call 811 because they think their project isn’t deep enough for the call, according to Common Ground Alliance, a North American organization dedicating to preventing damage to underground utilities.
An 811 call is free for homeowners excavating on their residential property.
The law requires an 811 call before digging with power equipment, including backhoes, excavators, post hole diggers, and trenchers.
But it’s best to play it safe with any digging project by making the 811 call. Once placing the call, a crew will come out to the dig site to look for potential underground utilities and mark them with paint.
Here’s the information you will need when calling 811:
- The county and municipality in which the planned dig is located.
- The street name and address.
- The nearest intersecting/cross street to the address.
- Details of the dig site, including the area of the property where excavation will occur and what kind of work is being done.
- When the project is scheduled to take place.
If you hire a contractor to do the excavation for you, they are required to call 811 themselves.
Stay safe this spring and call before you dig.
For more info, visit the Pennsylvania 811 website at pa1call.org.
