Company offers tips for customers to manage
rising temperatures and energy costs
NEW
CASTLE, Pa., June 24,
2024 /PRNewswire/ -- With the hot, humid summer
months expected to produce higher electric usage and potentially
severe weather, FirstEnergy Pennsylvania Electric Company
(FE PA), a subsidiary of FirstEnergy
Corp. (NYSE: FE) doing business as Penn Power in western
Pennsylvania, is completing
inspections and conducting proactive equipment maintenance across
its service area to help enhance service reliability for
customers.
John Hawkins, FirstEnergy's
President,
Pennsylvania: "We proactively inspect and
maintain our equipment to help ensure our system is prepared for
increased electrical demand when temperatures climb. These
important measures will also help to minimize the length and impact
of service interruptions should summer storms cause power
outages."
Penn Power crews are wrapping up inspections of its local energy
delivery system to ensure electrical equipment is ready to perform
reliably with elevated summer electrical demand, typically due to
air conditioning usage.
Substation electricians use thermovision cameras during
summer-readiness inspections to capture infrared images, helping to
detect potential problems within substations and on power lines
that cannot be observed during regular visual
inspections. These images can identify equipment issues such
as loose connections, corrosion and load imbalances, and utility
workers are able to make repairs to prevent potential power outages
in the future.
Watch a video on the company's YouTube
channel of utility personnel conducting a thermovision
inspection.
In addition, helicopter patrols have completed inspections of
more than 300 miles of power lines owned by American Transmission
Systems, Inc. (ATSI), a FirstEnergy Corp. transmission subsidiary,
located in the Penn Power area. The inspections identify damaged
wire, broken cross arms and other hardware problems not visible
from the ground. Any potential reliability issues identified during
the inspections will be addressed.
Since the beginning of the year, tree contractors have trimmed
along 400 miles of power lines as part of FirstEnergy's vegetation
management program in the Penn Power area. Work remains on schedule
to complete an additional 840 miles by the end of the year.
Maintaining proper clearances around electrical equipment is
critical to providing safe, reliable electric service and can help
reduce the frequency and duration of tree-related power outages,
especially those associated with severe weather.
Trees are being trimmed in these counties and communities:
- Allegheny –
Warrendale, Wexford
- Beaver – Beaver Falls
- Butler – Cranberry Township, Mars, Zelienople
- Crawford – Conneaut Lake, Hartstown
- Lawrence – Ellwood City, New
Castle, New Wilmington,
Pulaski, Wampum
- Mercer – Greenville, Jamestown, West
Middlesex, Wheatland
In addition to equipment inspections and maintenance, Penn Power
recently conducted storm-readiness exercises and drills to test the
restoration process used to repair storm-related power outages.
Storm drills are becoming more common in the utility industry in
the wake of severe weather over the last several years.
With the summer storm season also comes higher-than-usual
temperatures and rising energy costs. Customers can take steps to
beat the heat while also managing their electricity bill this
summer. The following tips can help customers use electricity
wisely during this period of high demand:
- Set thermostats as high as comfort will allow.
- Use fans – moving air cools skin faster, resulting in greater
comfort on hot days.
- During sunny weather, close drapes or blinds on windows facing
the sun to prevent direct radiant heating from impacting interior
temperatures.
- Use a programmable or smart thermostat to keep temperatures
higher when no one is home and to reduce the temperature before
arrival back home.
- Seal any leaks with caulk or weather stripping to prevent hot
air from sneaking into your home.
- Check air conditioner and furnace fan filters. Clogged filters
waste energy and money by forcing HVAC systems to work harder than
necessary.
- Avoid using heat-producing appliances during the hottest hours
of the day. The less heat produced at home, the less work the air
conditioner must do.
- Payment arrangements and assistance programs are available for
customers who need help with their electric bills. For more
information, visit firstenergycorp.com/billassist.
Penn Power serves approximately 173,000 customers in all or
parts of Allegheny, Beaver, Butler, Crawford, Lawrence and Mercer counties in western Pennsylvania. Follow Penn Power on X
@Penn_Power, on Facebook at facebook.com/PennPower and online at
pennpower.com.
FirstEnergy is dedicated to integrity, safety, reliability and
operational excellence. Its electric distribution companies form
one of the nation's largest investor-owned electric systems,
serving customers in Ohio,
Pennsylvania, New Jersey, West
Virginia, Maryland and
New York. The company's
transmission subsidiaries operate approximately 24,000 miles of
transmission lines that connect the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic
regions. Follow FirstEnergy online at firstenergycorp.com and on X
@FirstEnergyCorp.
Editor's Note: Photos of workers conducting
thermovision inspections to enhance service reliability for
FirstEnergy customers are available for download on Flickr.
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SOURCE FirstEnergy Corp.