It’s spooky season, and it’s time to slay those energy vampires — the electronic gadgets, appliances, and other devices that draw energy when they’re plugged in but not in use.
Here are four tips to keep these monsters at bay.
In the home office
After you sign off, your home office laptops and PCs are still on the job. Shut them – along with your printers, scanners, and other equipment – down and save.
In the family room
Popular gaming systems use energy, even when they’re in standby mode. Next time you put down the controller, shut the system down.
In the kitchen
If you’re not using an appliance, make sure it’s turned off. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, this simple act can save you between $10 and $20 per year in energy costs.
Everywhere you charge
Your phone, laptop and tablet are using energy whenever they’re plugged in, even if they’re fully charged. Once the meter hits 100 percent, unplug your device to save.
Our employees are always willing to offer a helping hand and look forward to participating in the United Way’s Day of Caring every year.
It’s an opportunity for employees to roll up their sleeves and make a direct impact in the communities where we live, work, and play. This year, we had outstanding participation, with 140 PPL volunteers at the following organizations across the Lehigh Valley:
Bloom
Casa Guadalupe
Equi-Librium
Friends of Johnston
Greater Lehigh Valley YMCA Allentown
Greater Valley YMCA
Hispanic Center of the Lehigh Valley
Lehigh County Humane Society
Lehigh Valley Children’s Center
Salvation Army Hospitality House
Check out our clips from this year’s volunteer efforts:
We’re grateful for our employees’ involvement and proud to support the United Way!
Since 2009, our customers have saved 4,026,933,000 kilowatt-hours (kWh) of electricity. To put that into perspective, that’s the greenhouse gas emissions equivalent of:
Removing 620,000+ passenger vehicles from the road for an entire year
Charging 347,145,834,418 smartphones
Operating 594 wind turbines for a year
970,686 tons of waste recycled instead of landfilled
343,666 homes’ energy use in a year
The Difference Customers Like You Have Made
For the past 12 years, our customers have cut electricity usage by over 4 billion kWh by participating in our energy efficiency programs—that’s savings of more than $403 million in energy costs. Wow! Check out these big stats worth celebrating:
24,000,000+ energy-efficient light bulbs were purchased
143,000+ appliances were properly recycled
71,000+ energy-efficient devices and appliances were installed in local businesses
Energy Efficiency Means Peace of Mind
Taking the time to make the right decisions about your home’s appliances, air quality, and heating and cooling systems goes a long way. When your home is more energy efficient, it means you’re in control of your costs and your comfort. Whether you’re upgrading to ENERGY STAR® certified appliances or being mindful of your day-to-day acts, like shutting off lights, it all adds up—benefiting your family’s comfort, your savings, and the planet.
Celebrate With an Energy-Efficient Rebate
When it comes to major home endeavors like insulation or upgrades to heating and cooling systems, you can save hundreds with our rebates and incentives. In addition, Pennsylvania offers residents financial incentives and tax credits on upgrading your home’s energy efficiency.
For more tips to help you save energy, visit savewithppl.com.
Oftentimes, door-to-door scammers will misrepresent themselves. Not only their identity, but they will also misrepresent what their true intentions are. In those situations, scammers are generally looking to obtain your personal and account information to switch your electricity supplier without your knowledge.
We deliver your electricity, but in Pennsylvania, you can shop around for the supplier that’s right for you. While most suppliers market their services appropriately, some use fraudulent tactics – like misrepresenting themselves as PPL or offering too-good-to-be-true deals – to scam you out of your hard-earned money.
We do not sell supplier services door-to-door. So, if a solicitor is claiming to represent PPL Electric Utilities, you can be sure they are attempting to fool you.
If you want to listen to what the door-to-door salesperson has to say, you can, but the best place to start the shopping process is on our website, pplelectric.com/shopsmart, or by visiting the Public Utility Commission’s site at PAPowerSwitch.com.
Here are some tips to help you identify and slam the door on scammers:
Scammers will generally pressure you to act fast, don’t let fast-talking push you to give up personal information or make a decision on the spot.
If someone knocks, claims to be from PPL, and asks for money or for you to sign a contract, don’t do it. We never solicit services or demand payments door-to-door. Tell them you don’t have time to talk and that you’ll be calling us later to discuss.
Remember, if something doesn’t seem right when talking to a door-to-door salesperson, or something seems too good to be true, it likely is.
Know what questions to ask when switching suppliers: What is the length of the agreement? Is there an automatic renewal? Are there cancellation, change, or penalty fees? Is this an introductory rate? What is the price after the introductory period?
Spread the word. If a scammer tries to target you, they may also try to target others in your community. Let neighbors know they should keep an eye out for scammers.
Creating an online account is a great way to avoid scams. You can check your account information and current electricity supplier at any time, from any device at pplelectric.com.
Students are heading back to school in a few short weeks. And in some school districts, this is the first time students have hopped on a school bus or been in a physical classroom in almost 18 months!
One thing is for sure – we can all use a refresher on back-to-school safety.
Whether your little ones are starting school for the first time or teenagers are embarking on their high school journey, these simple tips will help you keep them safe all throughout the year:
Choose a backpack carefully and encourage children to wear both straps so the weight of all their books and school supplies are evenly distributed.
If your children walk to school, remind them to walk on the sidewalk. If there are no sidewalks, they should walk facing traffic.
Driving? Make sure to obey school zone speed limits and follow your school’s drop-off policy.
Be alert for pedestrians and students crossing the street, especially before sunrise.
Encounter a bus on your commute? Stay at least 10 feet away from any school bus that’s stopped with its stop sign extended and red lights flashing. Do not proceed until the stop arm is withdrawn, lights stop flashing and students are all safe.
