July is kicking off our first heat wave of the summer. But we’re here to keep you safe, cool and informed.
Extreme heat can be dangerous, but you don’t have to face it alone.
Steve is sharing three ways our crews — and you, too — can stay safe as we head into the holiday weekend.
If you’re looking for a break from the heat, we’re also sharing cooling center locations available across our region.
Updated July 4: We’ve added new locations across Bucks, Lehigh, Northampton, York, Berks and Lackawanna counties, and removed locations that have closed for the season’s first heat event.
Can’t find a location near you? Call 211.
PA 211 can connect you with the nearest open cooling location anywhere in our service territory — free, confidential and available 24/7, including holidays.
City of Allentown Pools — Cedar Beach, Mack and Irving
Hours: Daily, noon to 3 p.m. and 4 p.m. to 7 p.m.
City of Allentown Spray Parks — Bucky Boyle, Clyde E. Bosket Sr. and Old Allentown Fairgrounds
Hours: Daily, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Northampton County
Northampton County senior centers are open as cooling stations on dangerously hot days during regular weekday hours, and all are accessible via LANTA transportation:
Basilio Huertas Senior Center
520 E. 4th St., Bethlehem, PA 18015
Hours: Weekdays, 8:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
Cherryville Senior Center
4131 Lehigh Dr., Cherryville, PA 18035
Hours: Weekdays, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Silver Connections Senior Center
901 Washington St., Easton, PA 18042
Hours: Weekdays, opens at 9 a.m.
Wayne County
Honesdale Public Library
1406 Main St., Honesdale, PA 18431
Hours: Daily, until 6 p.m. (call ahead to confirm holiday hours)
For additional cooling locations in Wayne County, dial 211 or text your ZIP code to 898-211.
York County
LifePath Christian Ministries
367 W. Market St., York, PA 17401
Hours: Extended cooling hours through July 5, 11:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Overnight shelter hotline: 717-472-8911
Hanover Area Council of Churches
136 Carlisle St., Hanover, PA 17331
Hours: Saturday and Sunday, 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Berks County
The Berks County Area Agency on Aging has designated its senior centers as cooling locations during their normal weekday business hours. Free fans are available for adults over 60 at the Mohnton senior center.
For locations and hours, call the Berks County Area Agency on Aging at 610-478-6500 or visit berksaging.org
Lackawanna County
Lackawanna County senior community centers are open as cooling locations during regular weekday hours:
Scranton Senior Community Center — 1004 Jackson St., Scranton — Monday – Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
Fallbrook Senior Community Center — 185 Fallbrook Ave., Carbondale — Monday – Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Hillside Senior Community Center — 1151 Winola Rd., Clarks Summit — Monday – Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Dunmore Senior Community Center — 1414 Monroe Ave., Dunmore — Monday – Friday, 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
Throop Senior Community Center — 500 Sanderson St., Throop — Monday – Friday, from 10 a.m.
Mid Valley Senior Community Center — 310 Church St., Jessup — Monday and Wednesday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
North Pocono Senior Community Center — 6 John J. Michaels Dr., Covington Township — Monday – Wednesday, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Taylor Senior Community Center — 700 S. Main St., Taylor — Monday – Wednesday, noon to 3 p.m.
Many county cooling locations operate on weekday schedules. If you need a cool place to go on a weekend or holiday, call 211 or visit an air-conditioned public space like a library, mall or community center near you.
Extreme heat can be more than just uncomfortable — it can affect your health, increase your energy use and make it harder to stay cool at home. It’s also a time when the electric system is working harder to meet increased demand, and we know that’s when you rely on us most. That’s why we’re working behind the scenes to keep power flowing while helping you stay prepared.
As temperatures rise, air conditioners, fans and other cooling appliances work overtime to keep you comfortable. These devices often run longer and work harder during extreme heat, driving up electricity use across the region.
At the same time, extreme heat can pose real health risks. Health experts, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), say air conditioning is one of the most effective ways to prevent heat-related illnesses. If you don’t have air conditioning at home, spending time in cooler places like shopping malls, libraries or community cooling centers can help you stay safe.
While at home, a few simple steps can help you stay comfortable and use energy wisely:
Block the sun: Close blinds and curtains during the day.
Limit indoor heat: Avoid using ovens, dryers and dishwashers at times of peak heat.
Fans cool people, not rooms: Run ceiling and portable fans only in occupied rooms.
Staying safe during extreme heat is just as important as staying comfortable:
Drink fluids often.
Wear light, breathable clothing.
Take breaks in cool spaces.
Check on neighbors and loved ones.
If you feel dizziness, nausea or unusual fatigue, take it seriously, find ways to cool down right away or seek medical attention.
What we’re doing to keep your power reliable
While you’re focused on staying cool, we’re focused on keeping your power reliable. Extreme heat and higher electricity use can put added stress on equipment, which is why we prepare year-round. Our teams replace aging equipment, trim trees and install advanced technology like Smart Grid devices to strengthen the system.
During heat waves, we closely monitor the grid and use real-time data to spot and address issues early. And, if an outage occurs, our crews are ready around the clock to respond safely and restore service as quickly as possible.
We’re here with you
Extreme heat can be dangerous, but you don’t have to face it alone. By taking a few simple steps, you can stay safe, manage your energy use and look out for those around you.
We’re committed to strengthening the system and supporting our customers when it matters most — so you can feel confident knowing we’ve got your back when temperatures rise.
As the weather warms up and many of us start dreaming about new flowers, trees and shrubs, it’s a great time to think about how your landscaping choices can support both a beautiful yard and reliable electric service. Trees and shrubs do so much good for our environment — they clean the air, offer shade, support wildlife and add natural beauty to our homes. But when planted too close to power lines, they can also cause avoidable outages, especially during storms.
That’s why choosing the right tree or plant for the right place is so important. The trees and shrubs you plant today will continue to grow for decades and giving them the proper space now helps ensure they won’t interfere with power lines or create safety concerns in the future. By selecting the right species and planting them in the right spots, you can help prevent outages, protect your home and keep your landscaping healthy as it matures.
To make planning easier, we offer a list of trees and shrubs that can be safely planted near power lines. It includes options of all sizes — from beautiful flowering trees like Dogwoods and Eastern Redbuds, to larger shrubs such as Black Elderberry and American Witch-Hazel, to smaller favorites like Mountain Laurel, Black Huckleberry and even common berry bushes. You can explore the full list and get more tips at pplelectric.com/KnowBeforeYouGrow.
When it comes to tall-growing trees, be sure to give them plenty of room to reach their mature height. Anything that will grow taller than 25 feet should be planted at least 50 feet away from overhead power lines to prevent issues down the road. It’s also helpful to keep ground-mounted transformers clear of any new vegetation. Doing so ensures our crews can work safely and quickly whenever maintenance or repairs are needed.
Spring planting often means digging too, so don’t forget one of the most important steps: calling 811 at least three business days before you start. This free service marks underground utilities, including buried power lines, so you or your landscapers can work safely and avoid damaging critical infrastructure.
If you’re maintaining existing trees on your property, remember that pruning near power lines should always be left to trained professionals. Working close to electric lines is extremely dangerous and could result in serious injury or death. For work near the service wire that runs from our pole to your home, we can temporarily de-energize the line and lower it so you or your contractor can safely handle the job. Just give us a call at 1-800-342-5775 at least five business days before the work begins.
And if you see our crews trimming trees or working on equipment in your neighborhood, please keep a safe distance. A little space helps keep both you and our employees safe while they complete important reliability work.
If you’re looking for extra guidance or inspiration as you plan your spring projects, the Arbor Day Foundation offers helpful tools and resources for choosing the right tree or shrub and selecting the best location for planting. It’s a great place to learn more, visit the Arbor Day Foundation’s website.
A little planning goes a long way — for your safety, your yard and the reliability of the electric service we provide to you and your neighbors. Together, we can ensure that the planting we do today grows and blooms well into the future.
The holidays are a time forfriends, family and appreciating all we have to be thankful for.
And nothing shows you care more than keeping those you love most safe throughout the season, right?
It can be a busy time of year, but don’t forget to make safety—especially electrical safety —a top priority when decorating your home. Here are 8 tips to keep your season merry,bright and safe.
Check the halls before you deck the halls. Throw out any damaged light strands and replace them with LED bulbs. Check wall sockets, wires and connections to make sure they’re in good, working order. If you find a problem, contact a professional, certified electrician.
Place decorations and trees at least three feet from heat sources like fireplaces, portable heaters, radiators and candles. If using candles, blow them out when you leave the room or go to sleep.
Inspect your cords to make sure they’re marked for proper use. Use plastic or insulated clips to secure your cords. Avoid using nails, screws or tacks. Avoid running extension cords under rugs or in high traffic areas.
If you have a natural tree, water it frequently to keep it fresh. The heat from incandescent bulbs can ignite a dry tree. If you have incandescent bulbs, consider switching to more energy-efficient LED bulbs.
Be mindful of your electrical load. While some of us may enjoy big, beautiful and bright displays, overloading can cause fires. Follow manufacturer guidelines for how many sets of lights can be safely connected to your outlets and extension cords.
When decorating outdoors, always carry ladders parallel to the ground and look up for power lines before setting up your ladder.
Always hang your decorations during daylight hours.
At night, make sure to turn your holiday lights and decorations off before leaving home and going to bed.
Don’t let something preventable steal your holiday cheer. Whether you are just getting ready to decorate — or if you already have — keep these tips in mind to stay safe and merry this season.
For PPL Electric Utilities Engineers Miguel Mendoza, Chris Jarrah, Amr El Hakim and their teams, future-proofing the electric grid goes well beyond new technology or software. It means combining innovative thinking, a problem-solving outlook and always keeping the real-world impact in mind, which for them means that when the switch is flipped, the power goes on.
PPL Electric engineers are constantly pushing the boundaries of innovation to modernize the grid, enhance reliability and ensure a more secure and efficient electric system for our customers. As we celebrate National Engineers Week, we’re spotlighting a groundbreaking project that demonstrates the critical role engineers play in shaping the future of energy: Intelligent Electronic Device (IED) Management.
IEDs are important components within substations that enable automation, real-time monitoring and remote operations that keep our electric grid running smoothly. However, as technology evolves, it’s critical to have an efficient and scalable system to remotely manage, configure and update these devices. That’s where IED Management comes in.
This innovative project — being worked on by Mendoza, Jarrah, El Hakim and their teams — focuses on replacing outdated substation technology with a next-generation IED Management solution. The goal? To enhance system security, improve operational efficiency and future-proof our grid infrastructure. The impact of this project extends beyond just technology upgrades. It also directly benefits our customers by improving reliability, reducing outages and lowering operational costs. With real-time remote troubleshooting and automated updates, PPL Electric can respond to issues faster and with fewer onsite visits. Additionally, these updates make our grid more resilient, ensuring a safer and more secure electric system.
“This project revolutionizes the way we manage and secure our substations,” Jarrah said. “By automating critical tasks, we’re enhancing safety and boosting efficiency. It’s a significant step toward a more modern, resilient electric grid as we continue to build the utility of the future.”
For engineers like Miguel, this project represents the perfect blend of innovation, problem-solving and real-world impact. IED Management is more than just upgrading technology — it’s about securing the future of our electric grid and making a tangible difference for the communities we serve.
“This project is exciting because it combines innovation with practical engineering solutions to modernize the grid,” Mendoza said. “It’s fulfilling to contribute to something that directly enhances reliability and efficiency for our customers.”
At PPL Electric, we know that the future of energy depends on the brilliant minds of our engineers. Projects like IED Management showcase how engineering connects cutting-edge technology with real-world applications, solving challenges in security, compliance and operational efficiency. For those considering a career in engineering, this work is an example of how you can be at the forefront of powering the future. We’re proud to celebrate our engineers, whose dedication, expertise and innovation drive our mission forward every day.
Do you want to engineer the utility of the future? PPL Electric offers a variety of exciting careers in engineering. Explore current opportunities and join an exceptionally brilliant team by visiting pplweb.com/careers.
