Oct 27, 2026 | Energy Efficiency
Ghosts and goblins aren’t the only things lurking in your home this Halloween. Some of your everyday electronics could be quietly draining electricity without you even realizing it.
They’re called energy vampires, and unlike the creatures in scary movies, these are real.
Energy vampires are electronic devices and appliances that continue using electricity even when they’re turned off. This is known as standby power, and while the amount of electricity consumed by a single device may seem small, it can add up over time.
Meet the energy vampires hiding in plain sight
You might be surprised by how many devices around your home are secretly devouring your electricity.
- Televisions: Many TVs continue drawing power in standby mode so they can quickly respond to your remote.
- Gaming consoles: Consoles with sleep or rest modes may continue using electricity to download updates, charge controllers or stay connected to the internet.
- Phone and laptop chargers: Some chargers consume small amounts of electricity when plugged in, even without a device attached.
- Coffee makers: Models with digital clocks, programmable timers or displays may use electricity even when they’re not brewing.
- Smart home devices: Smart speakers, voice assistants and other connected devices often remain powered on to listen for commands or maintain connectivity.
- Printers: Some printers draw electricity while in standby mode, waiting for the next print job.
- Cable boxes and streaming devices: These devices may continue running in the background to receive updates or maintain a connection.
- Microwaves: That convenient digital clock and display can consume electricity around the clock.
How to keep energy vampires from haunting your electric bill
The good news? You don’t need garlic or a wooden stake to stop these energy vampires. A few simple habits can help reduce unnecessary electricity use.
Unplug when you’re done. Disconnect chargers and electronics that don’t need to remain plugged in, especially when you’re away for an extended period.
Put power strips to work. Plug entertainment systems, computer accessories and other electronics into a switched power strip to turn off multiple devices at once.
Get smart with smart plugs. Smart plugs allow you to remotely control connected devices or set schedules to automatically turn them off when they’re not needed, helping reduce unnecessary electricity use.
Check your settings. Enable energy-saving features on TVs, gaming consoles and computers, and turn off unnecessary instant-on or standby functions.
Choose energy-efficient devices. When shopping for new electronics, look for ENERGY STAR-certified products designed to use less energy.
Know what needs to stay connected. Not every device should be unplugged. Internet routers, security systems and certain smart home devices may need continuous power to function properly.
Don’t let energy vampires give you a fright!
This Halloween, take a few minutes to look around your home and identify electronics that may be using electricity unnecessarily. Small changes to your everyday habits can help reduce wasted energy and keep your electric bill from becoming the scariest part of the season.
The trick? Spot the energy vampires. The treat? A more energy-efficient home.
Oct 23, 2026 | Safety and Security
Halloween decorations can transform your home into a spooky spectacle, but before you plug in those lights, inflatables and animated decorations, it’s important to make safety part of your celebration.
A little preparation can help prevent electrical hazards and ensure everyone enjoys a safe and memorable Halloween.
Start with a quick decoration safety check
Before hanging decorations or plugging in lights, inspect all electrical cords and light strands for signs of damage. Frayed wires, cracked sockets or loose connections can create shock and fire hazards.
If you find damaged decorations, replace them instead of trying temporary fixes.
Avoid overloading outlets
It can be tempting to plug multiple decorations into a single outlet, especially when creating an elaborate display. However, overloaded outlets and power strips can overheat, increasing fire risk.
Follow manufacturer recommendations and distribute electrical loads across multiple outlets when possible.
Use the right decorations in the right places
Outdoor displays should always use decorations, extension cords and lighting specifically rated for outdoor use. Indoor products may not be designed to withstand rain, moisture or changing temperatures.
Check packaging labels to ensure decorations are intended for the environment where they’ll be used.
Keep walkways safe
Extension cords can create tripping hazards for trick-or-treaters and guests. Route cords away from sidewalks, driveways and pathways whenever possible. If cords must cross a walking area, secure them properly to reduce the risk of falls.
Look up before decorating
When placing outdoor decorations, ladders or large displays, always be aware of overhead power lines. Never hang decorations on utility equipment or place them where they could contact electrical lines.
Treat all power lines as energized and always maintain a safe distance.
Power down at the end of the night
Before heading to bed or leaving home, turn off and unplug Halloween decorations. This simple step can reduce electrical risks and conserve energy when you’re not using the decorations.
Keep the scares in the decorations
A few minutes spent checking lights, cords and displays can help prevent electrical hazards throughout the Halloween season. By following these simple tips, you can help keep your home festive, fun and safe for everyone who stops by for a treat.
Happy Halloween and stay safe!
Oct 6, 2026 | Safety and Security
Fire Prevention Week (October 4-10) is a great time to think about how we can keep our homes and families safe. According to the Electrical Safety Foundation International (ESFI), home electrical fires are responsible for around 500 deaths, 1,400 injuries and $1.3 billion in property damage.
The good news is that many house fires can be prevented by following a few simple electrical safety tips. Electricity powers our everyday lives, but it should always be treated with care.
Here are some important reminders to help prevent electrical fires:
Check your power cords
Take a look at the cords around your home. If a cord is frayed, cracked, or damaged, replace it right away. Never put nails, staples, or other objects through electrical cords because they can damage the protective covering and create a fire hazard.
Don’t force plugs into outlets
Plugs should fit securely into outlets. If a plug feels loose or needs to be forced into place, stop using it and have the outlet inspected. Damaged outlets can increase the risk of electrical problems and fires.
Use the right light bulbs
Always use light bulbs with the recommended wattage for your lamp or fixture. Using bulbs that are too powerful can cause overheating and potentially start a fire.
Be careful with space heaters
When the weather gets cold, many people use space heaters. Keep them on a flat surface and away from furniture, curtains, blankets, and other flammable materials. Never plug a space heater into an extension cord or power strip, and don’t leave it running unattended.
Protect areas near water
Bathrooms, kitchens, and other places where water is present should have Ground Fault Circuit Interrupters (GFCIs). These safety devices can quickly shut off power if they detect a problem, helping to prevent shocks and electrical hazards.
A few simple safety habits can make a big difference. This Fire Prevention Week, take a few minutes to check your home’s electrical equipment and talk with your family about electrical safety. Working together can help keep everyone safe and reduce the risk of electrical fires.
Sep 30, 2026 | Customer Service
Economic development plays a growing role in shaping the future of the communities PPL Electric Utilities serves. From supporting new business opportunities to helping communities prepare for long-term growth, the work involves collaboration across teams, organizations and regions. In the Q&A below, Jason Hunt, manager of Business and Economic Development, shares more about what economic development means for PPL Electric, why it matters and what’s ahead.
Q: What is economic development, and what does it mean for PPL Electric?
A: When we’re talking about economic development, we’re talking about more than just bringing in a new business or responding to a site selection consultant’s inquiry about land. The goal is to drive sustainable growth and community vitality across our entire service territory by aligning what businesses need, what community priorities are and identifying long-term investment opportunities.
It’s also an important bridge. Because we work with the state, local leadership and community organizations, we can help tie different players together and position the company as a trusted partner.
Q: Why is economic development important for our company and our customers?
A: We can’t grow as a company unless our communities are growing – so economic development is obviously good for PPL. But it is also good for our customers. It brings new career opportunities, gives people a reason to live and work in our service territory, and supports growth in related industries like suppliers and local businesses. From a utility standpoint, growth supports a broader customer base to share system costs, and large energy users contribute proportionally based on usage—helping lower system costs and support long-term affordability for all customers.
Q: What makes PPL Electric’s approach to economic development different from other utilities?
A: Many utilities once had strong economic development programs, but a lot of them reduced those efforts after deregulation. For PPL Electric, the need to reestablish this work comes from the increasing demand for power — especially from industrial customers. Projects today require more power than they did just a few years ago, which means we need to get involved in the conversation earlier than we have for the last 15 years or so.
This work is also an extension of our Go BEYOND initiative for customer service. These economic development stakeholders aren’t customers yet, but we need to treat them like customers by being responsive, collaborative and solutions-oriented from the beginning.
Q: Where does PPL Electric fit into the site selection process?
A: The site selection process is like a funnel. Companies often begin with a large list of possible locations across several states before narrowing down those options over time.
Our goal is to ensure sites within PPL’s territory stay in the running for as long as possible and ultimately make it to the shortlist. That starts with responsiveness—providing quick, accurate information and helping companies understand timelines, opportunities and potential challenges.
Q: What progress has been made over the past year?
A: One of the first major steps was commissioning a competitiveness analysis to benchmark PPL Electric’s service territory against neighboring regions and national best practices.
The study identified both strengths and opportunities for improvement, including a lack of shovel-ready industrial sites. To address that, the company hired a consultant to evaluate land across its Pennsylvania service territory and identify sites with strong potential for future industrial development.
Communities will ultimately receive recommendations on how to improve those sites and make them more competitive for future projects.
We’ve also worked to strengthen relationships with local economic development organizations by providing technical assistance, training opportunities and employee involvement on local boards.
Q: What’s next for economic development at PPL Electric?
A: A major next step is completing the industrial site study, which is expected to wrap up by the end of the summer.
Another focus area is improving how projects and inquiries are tracked internally by digitizing and streamlining processes so teams across the company can better collaborate and share visibility into projects.
I think fostering that sense of camaraderie and teamwork among people who don’t normally work together on a day-to-day basis is an important ongoing part of the work.
Economic development is still relatively new at PPL Electric, so making sure people are aware of it and know when to involve me is a really important piece of what we’re building.
As PPL Electric continues building its economic development efforts, collaboration across teams and communities will remain a key focus. By strengthening partnerships, improving processes and supporting long-term growth opportunities, the work aims to help position both PPL Electric and the communities it serves for future success.
About Jason
Jason Hunt is the manager of business & economic development for PPL Electric Utilities’ service territory within Pennsylvania. PPL Electric provides electric delivery services to 1.5 million customers in eastern and central Pennsylvania. PPL Electric is part of PPL Corporation which operates and maintains a vast electric delivery system that spans 10,000 square miles and serves a population of more than 3 million.
In his role with PPL Electric, Hunt works to help companies locate and expand their businesses within PPL Electric’s service territory. He works in partnership with consultants, economic developers and state government stakeholders.
Sep 15, 2026 | Environment
Wildflowers swaying in the summer breeze. Butterflies drifting from bloom to bloom. Bees buzzing among a colorful meadow of native plants. Visitors walking the trails at Lancaster Conservancy’s Safe Harbor Nature Preserve can now experience a landscape bursting with life and color.
Just a short time ago, this thriving habitat consisted of only farm-like grasslands.
“Woodlands are crucial, but these functioning meadows have been steadily declining, leading to declines in nesting birds and pollinator species,” said Eric Roper, a forester for the Lancaster Conservancy. “When we can create these havens to provide habitats for all these important species, it also has an impact on us and our way of life.”
The story of this transformation actually began more than a decade ago. In 2011, PPL Electric Utilities donated the land that now makes up Safe Harbor Nature Preserve to Lancaster Conservancy as part of a major conservation effort. Today, the 213-acre preserve contains a mix of fields, forests and woodland edges that provide habitat for a wide variety of wildlife and outdoor recreation opportunities for the community.
Then, in 2024, our teams returned to the preserve for an important reliability improvement project. Crews replaced 52 transmission poles — many stretching through the corridor at Safe Harbor — to help maintain reliable electric service for communities in and around West Hempfield Township and the surrounding communities.
When the work was complete, the conservancy saw an opportunity and worked with us to create something more than a utility corridor.
Together, the organizations developed a habitat enhancement plan for the transmission right-of-way. The goal was to establish the right mix of native plants and shrubs that would support wildlife while remaining compatible with the safe operation and maintenance of the electric transmission system. PPL Electric also provided some of the native plant and shrub species now seen in the meadow.
“To see the preserve where it’s at today, it’s pretty amazing,” said Tom Eby, lead environmental professional at PPL Electric Utilities. “During the project, it looked nothing like it does now, so it really is nice to see all the wildlife out here and open it up to the public.”
Over the next two years, those newly planted species took root and flourished.
As of the summer of 2026, the corridor has transformed into a sprawling native meadow. The area now provides food and shelter for pollinators and other wildlife while creating a beautiful natural experience for visitors, who can walk directly through the meadow along public trails.
The success at Safe Harbor builds on an ongoing partnership between PPL Electric and the Lancaster Conservancy. The organizations previously worked together at Kellys Run Nature Preserve, where a native pollinator habitat was established within a transmission line corridor. That project expanded pollinator-friendly meadows and created valuable habitat for bees, butterflies, moths and other species.
“It’s great to have a partnership like this where we can help them while they help us,” Eby said. “Really, it’s about the environment and the public benefiting from this collaboration.”
At Safe Harbor, the results are easy to see. What was once simply a right-of-way beneath power lines has become a vibrant native landscape that supports wildlife, welcomes visitors and demonstrates how reliable energy infrastructure and environmental stewardship can grow side by side.
