The big game is this Sunday. Think about all the electricity it takes to power such a spectacular event – the stadium lights, the global TV hookups, the concession equipment, the glitz and glitter of the halftime show, and the hundreds of devices in the press box.
Thankfully, your game day menu at home doesn’t have to be an energy hog. We’ve fallen in love with slow cookers and Instant Pots® as convenient, energy-efficient options to supercharge your game day menu. Whether you prefer low and slow, fresh and fast or both, these appliances are perfect for feeding your family.
Here’s a round up of recipes for wings, dips and more – all offering energy efficient and delicious game day inspiration.
The holiday season is here. If you’re like us, we kick into holiday overdrive around mid-November. Did you know that Thanksgiving weekend is the most common time to decorate for the winter holiday season?
It’s easy to brighten your holiday celebrations with festive food, fun and decorations while keeping energy efficiency in mind. Here are a few fun, creative and most importantly, convenient ways for you to save this holiday season.
Eat, Drink and Be Merry: The holiday season means spending time with family and friends and spreading holiday cheer. Free up some time to kick back, relax and join the party. The average kitchen accounts for 15% of your home’s energy use, so slaving over a stove can cost you time and money. Try using your smaller appliances (microwave, toaster oven or slow cooker) to whip up holiday-inspired recipes. From quick snacks to desserts, appetizers to entrees, or even a small meal or side, we’ve scoured the web and found some great ideas to help give you a little creative inspiration.
Deck the halls: Make sure your holiday spirit shines through with fun, original, festive – and energy efficient – holiday decorations. You can include your whole family in the fun. Stretch your creative muscles with the following guiding principles:
Merry and Bright: We want to help you brighten your holiday décor and save energy (and money). It’s time to take a cue from good ol’ Clark Griswold. By using LED holiday lights, you can have a gorgeous display without sending the electric meter spinning. LEDs use 90 percent less energy than regular incandescent light strings, last about 10 times longer, are cooler to the touch and are more durable. Plus, they’re super-bright! Also, according to the U.S. Department of Energy, LED holiday lights only cost 27 cents to run for 12 hours a day for 40 days, compared with $10 for incandescent bulbs. That’s a pretty big deal. And because LEDs last longer, you’ll save year after year.
Sparkle and Shine: Time for your holiday spirit to shine through. You don’t need to add extra lights to decorate a tree or put togeter a festive holiday display. Reflective ornaments will make your holiday décor even brighter when combined with LED strands. Using fewer light strings and less electricity is the winning strategy.
Tick, tock. Beat the Clock: It’s all about timers and convenience. Use a timer for both your indoor and outdoor lights. It’ll keep you from forgetting to turn on your holiday lighting display, or worse, forgetting to turn it off and wasting electricity.
Monitoring tens of thousands of miles of power lines is important to keeping the lights on, and PPL Electric Utilities is increasing its use of drones to make that process more effective and efficient.
We recently began using drones to patrol the lower-voltage distribution lines that are typically found along neighborhood roads. It’s an expansion of our use of drones to help patrol transmission lines, the larger and taller high-voltage lines and poles that carry electricity over long distances.
Having certified pilots operate drones along our lines helps improve reliability because we can spot potential issues before they cause an outage. Drones can capture images of lines and related equipment, like transformers, and they’re capable of thermal imaging to spot hotspots that can signal problems. Drones also use a tool that measures the distance from trees to power lines. This helps us know when we should trim trees to potentially prevent an outage.
Before drones patrol a distribution line, customers along the line receive an automated phone call to let them know about the upcoming work. The drones focus only on lines and related equipment, not on surrounding areas. We only fly drones on weekdays between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. and never at night, or on weekends or holidays.
Drones give us a much closer and detailed look at power lines, a view not available to a PPL worker on the ground or even a helicopter. Plus, they improve safety by reducing the time that workers are in areas close to live power lines.
We know spotting a drone over a power line near your home might cause you to do a double take. We’re committed to using this equipment responsibly to improve reliability and increase efficiency, so we can keep your electric rates reasonable.
“This is a test of the Emergency Broadcast System.”
It’s a phrase we’ve all heard countless times from our radios or TVs. We’ve heard it so many times that it’s easy to stop paying attention.
The fact is that the Emergency Broadcast System — and other warnings like it — can provide life-saving information when disaster strikes.
September is National Preparedness Month. It’s the perfect time to learn about the various warning systems that will alert your family in the event of a natural or man-made crisis.
Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEAs)
WEAs are sent directly to your cell phone by state or local public safety officials, the National Weather Service, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, and the president of the United States.
Emergency Alert System (EAS)
The EAS is a national public warning system that requires all satellite, cable and radio broadcasters to provide the president with a capability to address the American people within 10 minutes during a national emergency. EAS also may be used by state and local authorities.
NOAA Weather Radio (NWR)
NWR is a nationwide network of radio stations that broadcast continuous weather information from the nearest National Weather Service office.
For more information on emergency preparedness, visit www.ready.gov. If you experience a power outage, don’t forget to report it online, call 1-800-342-5775 (1-800-DIAL-PPL) or text “Outage” to TXTPPL (898775).
Summer is winding down, but there’s still plenty of time to enjoy the outdoors. For many of us, outdoor fun in the summertime means splashing around at a nearby pool or relaxing by a stream with a fishing pole in hand.
Water and electricity can be a deadly combination. At PPL Electric Utilities, we always think about safety first. Here are a few tips to stay safe from electrical risks as you enjoy the water this summer.
Swimming is a great way to cool down, but it carries dangers beyond drowning. Pools, hot tubs and spas can all be sources of electrical risks. According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), these hazards can come from several sources, including faulty underwater lighting; aging, uninspected (or at least not in years) electrical wiring; the use of sump pumps, power washers and vacuums that are not grounded; and, electrical appliances or extension cords that inadvertently end up in the water.
How can you keep your family safe? Ensuring that you have Ground-Fault Circuit-Interrupters (GFCIs) installed for all lighting, circuits and receptacles near water is a good first step. You also need to be aware of any sources of electricity near water. The CPSC has some good advice: “The best protection for families is inspection, detection and correction of electrical hazards in and around the swimming pools, hot tubs and spas.”
Fishing is another popular summertime activity that also carries some electrical risk. Because fishing rods and poles are made from metal, carbon fibers or similar conductive materials, contact with overhead power lines is a possibility.
If your fishing pole touches a power line, it can cause electric shocks, severe burns and even death. To stay safe, always “look before you hook.” Be aware of your surroundings and don’t get too close to overhead power lines when you’re fishing, or when you’re carrying your pole to or from a fishing spot.
Another safety tip is to make sure you unpack, set up and put away your equipment at the water’s edge, not in the water itself.
