Jun 8, 2025 | Safety and Security, Storms and Outages
Does your family have an emergency plan in case of severe weather? You might be surprised to learn that a lot of Americans don’t have an emergency plan.
We take a lot of steps to keep our loved ones safe. We childproof our homes, buckle up in the car and install smoke detectors. But are we ready for an emergency, like a power outage or a severe summer storm?
What would your family do if the power went out for days during a heat wave? Do you have enough food, water and other supplies? Every family’s needs are different, and your plan should reflect that. For example, families with young children, pets or someone with medical needs might require more detailed planning.
Why planning matters
Having a plan in place before summer storms hit can make all the difference. It’s much easier to stay calm and focused when you’ve thought through the details ahead of time. Knowing where to go, who to contact and what to have on hand will help you keep your loved ones safe.
With storm season approaching, now is a great time to review and update your emergency plan. Even if you already have a plan, it’s important to make sure it still meets your family’s current needs.
Get started on your plan
If you don’t have a plan yet, now is the perfect time to create one. Here are a few questions to ask yourself:
- Does everyone know who to contact and where to go if a summer storm hits when you’re not home?
- Do you have an emergency kit with enough supplies for at least three days?
- Does everyone know how to stay informed with the latest weather alerts?
Resources to help you prepare
We’ve gathered essential information from trusted sources like FEMA, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, the Red Cross and the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services to create a comprehensive guide just for you. Our guide brings together the best practices and recommendations from these expert organizations into one convenient place, making it easy for you to review and follow.
Key tips:
- Keep a paper copy of your emergency contacts: If your phone dies during a storm, you’ll still have access to important numbers.
- Use our checklist to build your emergency kit: It’s designed with all the details you need to be prepared for summer weather emergencies.
- Teach your kids what to do during a storm emergency: Help them stay calm and know what to expect.
Download our Emergency Preparedness Guide
Check out the infographics below for more detailed guidance on creating your emergency kit and preparing your family. Being prepared for summer storms is essential, not just for yourself, but for everyone who depends on you.
May 13, 2025 | Customer Service
Energy costs are rising. And as we head into the summer months, many customers are understandably concerned about higher bills. We’re concerned too. That’s why we’re doing everything we can to help you understand your options, control your usage and take advantage of every resource available to you.
Why generation prices are rising
In Pennsylvania and the broader region, energy market prices for electric generation supply have risen sharply due to the retirement of older baseload power plants and limited new generation resources being built as replacements. With electricity demand expected to increase over the next decade, this situation could worsen if new generation isn’t added. Our President, Christine Martin, addressed this crisis in an op-ed published earlier this year.
These energy market conditions are putting an unnecessary cost burden on customers. Generation supply price increases are the main driver of the nearly 16% increase in our Price to Compare taking effect on June 1. This increase is especially significant for our customers, since nearly 50% of an average bill is attributable to generation supply costs.
We want to assure you that we do not profit from these increases in the generation supply charge. In fact, under Pennsylvania law, we do not generate electricity and are required to purchase electricity through a competitive, transparent auction process on behalf of customers who do not choose a third-party supplier. These generation supply costs are passed along to you at the price that we pay, without a profit or markup.
In fact, PPL Electric Utilities only controls about half of your electric bill — covering the cost of delivering power to homes and businesses over distribution and transmission lines. The remaining half, which includes generation supply costs, regulatory mandates and taxes, is outside of our control. Despite this, we are committed to operating efficiently and controlling the costs that we can while still ensuring reliable service for our customers.
Resources to help you take control of your bill
While we can’t control these market trends, we can empower customers with the tools and information needed to manage energy use and explore cost-saving opportunities.
We offer a variety of resources designed to help you make informed decisions, manage your energy use and keep your monthly bills as predictable and reasonable as possible:
- Budget billing and flexible payment plans: Spread your energy costs throughout the year or choose a bill due date that works best for your budget.
- Energy-saving programs and rebates: From virtual home energy audits to personalized tips, product rebates and discounts, we offer free or low-cost ways to cut your energy use and lower your bill. We have also launched a new and improved Home Energy Analyzer tool to help you better understand where you are using the most energy in your home and make informed decisions on changes that will have the most impact.
- Bill assistance programs: For income-eligible customers facing financial challenges, we provide a range of assistance options. Whether your need is temporary or long-term, we’re here to help. We have also expanded our Operation HELP electricity fund and raised individual grant levels to provide $1.5 million in total grants to eligible customers this year.
- Shop for a competitive supplier: Customers can compare offers from third-party electric generation suppliers on PaPowerSwitch.com and potentially lock in a lower rate. There are often savings available through shopping, but as always, we urge customers to carefully review the terms and conditions — including price, contract length, fixed or variable rates, and monthly and/or cancellation fees. Every year, we see many of our shopping customers paying more than the Price to Compare, so it is important to carefully choose your supplier and be aware of your contract terms.
We encourage customers to use our web-based self-service features to enroll or apply for available programs. Customers can access all resources in one convenient place by visiting pplelectric.com/SeasonalSavings.
Looking ahead
Our priority is clear — providing safe, reliable service while helping customers navigate a complex and changing energy landscape. Whether it’s answering your billing questions, helping you access assistance or offering new tools to reduce your energy use, we’re here to support you every step of the way.
We continue to control our costs to keep our delivery charges among the lowest in the state, and we are making smart investments to improve your service. And, soon, we will be rolling out additional self-service options for you to interact with us and manage your electric account. If you have questions or need help exploring your options, please visit pplelectric.com or contact our customer service team. We’re here to help you manage your energy costs with confidence.
May 5, 2025 | Safety and Security
Working outdoors — whether you’re a homeowner doing some routine maintenance, a contractor managing a large project or anyone operating equipment near power lines — means safety should always come first. At PPL Electric Utilities, we remind you to “look up and live,” because awareness around overhead power lines can save lives.
Why awareness matters
You don’t have to touch a power line to be in danger. Electricity can jump, or “arc, “through the air. This invisible hazard means that simply getting too close can cause serious injury or even death.
Every year, hundreds of construction workers tragically lose their lives due to contact with electrical lines, according to OSHA. Don’t become a statistic.
Safety tips: Staying safe near overhead lines
Before beginning any outdoor project, large or small, always:
- Check your surroundings: Look up and around carefully before setting up ladders, scaffolding, cranes or using long tools.
- Keep a safe distance: We recommend at least a 10-foot minimum clearance for lines up to 50,000 volts. Higher voltage lines require even greater distance.
- Know your equipment: Understand the height and reach of cranes, ladders and extended tools. Always assume overhead power lines are energized.
- Use : When operating heavy equipment, have someone on the ground guiding you to avoid overhead hazards.
Special rules for specific equipment
- Cranes and heavy machinery: Follow OSHA’s strict clearance rules. Consider creating visual diagrams showing safe distances to enhance your team’s understanding.
- Ladders and tools: Carry them horizontally, not vertically. Store and use them far away from overhead lines.
What to do if contact occurs
If your equipment contacts a power line:
- Stay inside the vehicle until utility personnel confirm it’s safe to exit. Electricity could still be flowing.
- If you must exit due to fire or another emergency: Jump clear without touching the equipment and ground simultaneously. Land with both feet together and shuffle away, keeping feet close together.
Call before you dig — dial 811
Don’t forget about underground safety, too. Call 811 before starting any excavation project to have underground utilities marked safely.
Questions or concerns? We’re here to help.
Your safety matters most. Before you start working near power lines, contact PPL Electric Utilities at 1-800-342-5775. We’re ready to assist and ensure your project stays safe.
Visit pplelectric.com/safety, OSHA.gov and esfi.org for additional safety tips and resources.
Stay safe and stay aware – look up and live!
Apr 1, 2025 | Community Involvement
We enjoy giving back to our communities and neighbors in powerful ways, not because it looks good on paper, but because it is who we are. Aside from the warmth and liveliness of spring, it’s why we love April, one of the busiest months on our calendar.
The month of April will be busy once again in 2025, as we continue our 100-year commitment to serving eastern and central Pennsylvania. Here’s how we’ll be empowering our communities this month:
- 🌎 Caring for our environment: April is Earth Month, and Earth Day is celebrated on April 22. We will be taking part in a number of volunteer activities during the week of Earth Day, planting trees and sprucing up local parks in Harrisburg, Williamsport, Allentown, Bethlehem, Hazleton and Scranton.
- But before we head out for our Earth Day festivities, we’ll be in East Greenville on April 12 to clean up the Perkiomen Stream at the Kistler Bitting YMCA Park. We also are holding a family volunteer day event at the Wildlands Conservancy on April 12, where our employees will get to bring their families along to help beautify the conservancy’s nature preserves.
- 👨🏫 Supporting education: We know today’s students are tomorrow’s leaders, so we support education year-round. April is a great example of what we do to aid curriculums throughout our service territory.
- On April 14, we will be hosting 75 students from the Allentown School District for an up-close look at careers in the energy industry. Students will learn about linework, cybersecurity, customer service, environmental management and more. Later in the month, we will also be hosting students from SUN Area Technical Institute for a tour of one of our service centers and to learn more about operations at PPL Electric Utilities.
- 💕 Giving and grants: Our grant programs help organizations throughout the 29 counties we serve inspire students and children, foster inclusion, encourage environmental stewardship and more. While our PPL Foundation team gets ready to notify this year’s recipients of Powering Equity Grants in May, we’re checking in with a pair of organizations that have already received funding from the PPL Foundation
- Another successful semester of the Student Career Exploration Co-Op Program is wrapping up at UPMC, where local high school students receive weekly hands-on nursing experience through the Susquehanna Health Foundation. The student-nurses will talk about all they’ve been able to learn through the program as they explore nursing as a career. Supporting STEM education is also something we strongly believe in. That’s why we’re excited to visit with our friends at Community Services for Children (CSC) in Allentown and watch their young students play and learn in CSC’s Innovation Lab. Funded in part by a PPL Foundation grant, the lab offers several hands-on learning activities.
Our employees give their time and money year-round to help nonprofit organizations, support sustainable communities and empower students and educators. We look forward to every opportunity to assist our neighborhoods, making April an especially exciting time. As spring begins to take over Pennsylvania, we look forward to springing into action throughout our communities!
Mar 5, 2025 | Reliability
We know you depend on us to power your life each day, and that’s a job we take seriously. It’s why we continuously work to make our grid stronger, smarter and more resilient to better withstand severe weather, prevent outages and accommodate increasing demands on our system.
From 2025 through 2028, we are investing nearly $7 billion in improvements across our 29-county service territory to help reduce both the number and length of outages while also supporting economic growth and development. The investments we are making include:
- Accelerating tree and limb trimming: expanding our tree trimming and vegetation maintenance efforts to reduce tree-related outages – the leading cause of outages.
- Strengthening our system: replacing aging infrastructure, adding stronger poles, pole-top equipment and wires and installing additional animal, avian and lightning guards throughout our service area.
- Expanding grid automation: installing additional smart grid devices, called reclosers, and sensors across the system to optimize the ability to remotely and automatically reroute power, decreasing the number of customers affected by an outage and the outage duration.
- Proactive inspection and maintenance: using a combination of visual, aerial, infrared and thermographic inspection techniques to determine the performance and health of the system and proactively replace aging or damaged equipment before an outage occurs.
At a time when our system is more challenged than ever by frequent severe storms, these multi-year investments will result in reliability improvements over time and enable us to deliver the power that our customers depend on.
Our commitment to you: we will continue to make upgrades to vulnerable areas of our system, inspect the grid, take corrective maintenance actions and expand system automation.
To learn more about our reliability improvements, visit pplelectric.com/Reliability.
