Summer is definitely here. In this case — you’ve probably been feeling the extreme heat. We want to prepare our customers for this extreme weather by providing helpful tips.
Customer Preparedness
Be prepared and know what to do when hot temperatures arise. To prevent heat-related illness and fatalities, follow these guidelines:
- Set thermostats at a comfortable 78 degrees during hot summer days.
- Turn off or unplug all unnecessary lighting, devices, and appliances.
- When the AC is on, keep all outside doors and windows closed. Closing shades, blinds and curtains can also help keep unwanted heat from entering your home.
- Run appliances that produce heat (like clothes dryers, ovens, and dishwashers) at night when it is cooler.
- Turn on ceiling fans to evenly distribute cool air throughout your home.
- Ensure that ducts and fans are not blocked by furniture. This will enable cool air to circulate freely, making your home more comfortable.
Enhancing the Energy Grid
The Pepco Holdings utilities, including Atlantic City Electric, Delmarva Power, and Pepco, spend hundreds of millions of dollars each year modernizing the local energy grid with new devices and more enhanced equipment to provide safe and reliable service for customers all year long. Our work to prepare for summer is no different.
This work includes inspecting and upgrading equipment like switches, poles and other devices, installing stronger, tree-resistant overhead cable, and trimming trees, which cause about 40 percent of power outages for customers each year. We are using innovative technologies to improve system reliability, such as specialized equipment that can automatically restore service more quickly or isolate damage. This work is essential in helping to prevent those outages that can be prevented.
Our reliability enhancement work has resulted in fewer power outages, and if outages did occur, customers were restored faster than ever before.
The Power of an Extended Network
Keeping our core promise to customers is an ongoing process, requiring work, investment, and planning, especially when the weather takes a turn for the worse and puts extra pressure on our energy grid.
As an Exelon company, we share best practices with our sister utilities – BGE, ComEd, and PECO – and participate in collaborative emergency response training exercises to ensure we can provide seamless support and resources during a storm or emergency restoration effort.
Our summer readiness program includes conducting emergency response drills and testing of computer and emergency systems. Employees from across the companies, including those who work in the field and those who provide office support, review emergency processes and procedures to help ensure a safe and efficient storm response.
If you are in the heat during this time, make sure to hydrate. Most people need several hours to drink enough fluids to replace what they have lost through sweat. The sooner you get started, the less strain you place on your body from dehydration.