PHILADELPHIA (July 29, 2009) – Another round of storms, potentially severe especially in the Philadelphia suburbs, is expected today across the region.  PECO is closely tracking the weather and making preparations to respond to possible power outages.

The National Weather Service says the region could get one to three inches of rain and hundreds of lightning strikes in some areas with winds greater than 25 mph and damaging gusts higher than 40 mph. PECO is expanding its evening staffing for its field operations, dispatch center, customer care, and emergency support groups to handle customer needs. The company will be coordinating with county 911 centers and local authorities on emergency response activities as needed.  Summer energy saving and storm tips are available online at www.peco.com.

With summer heat and storms becoming more common, PECO outlines the following reminders for customers:

• Safety First.  Summer is the peak season for one of the nation’s deadliest weather phenomena – lightning. The National Weather Service has adopted the saying: When Thunder Roars, Stay Indoors! Lightning can strike up to 10 miles from the area in which it is raining, even if you don’t see clouds. If you can hear thunder, you’re within striking distance of lightning.
• During summer storms, avoid electric appliances and other objects that can conduct electricity. Use only cordless or cell phones to make emergency calls.  Phone use is the leading cause of indoor lightning injuries in the U.S. A direct strike is not necessary for lightning voltage to enter your home through phone lines, electrical wires, cables and even plumbing. Unplug sensitive electronic appliances, such as computers, stereos, TVs and microwaves, to avoid damage from surges that can occur. Surge protectors for these devices are a must but not fail safe.
• Summer storms can cause extensive damage with downed trees, utility poles and aerial lines, like some areas experienced Sunday night. Motorists and pedestrians must be watchful of downed power lines that can still be energized and stay away.  In darkness, downed lines can be difficult to see and can be tangled in poles or trees knocked down by storms. Customers need to prepare for power outages and relocate any family members who need medical equipment if necessary.
• Contact PECO about power outages. It is important for customers to notify the company when storms interrupt service for more than a few moments. Call 1-800-841-4141 or register your account online and report an outage online at www.peco.com/service (even on Blackberries and mobile devices with Internet access). The more customers that report outages, the better PECO can assess damage and most effectively restore electric service in a timely manner.

Restoration times: Once an outage is reported, PECO may not be able to provide an immediate time when service can be expected back. It depends on the number of outages and the extent of damage across the region. As the trouble is assessed and later when crews are on site, PECO will update its estimated restoration times and make them available for customers who call 800-841-4141 on its automated interactive system.

Restoration process: The company restores service based on critical care customers first such as public water and sewer facilities, police and fire stations, and hospitals and nursing homes. Then, the company responds to trouble events based on the number of customers affected by each event.

Benefits of distribution automation:  PECO customers may experience momentary service interruptions when in the past they had a sustained power outage.  In recent years, PECO has installed 1,300 automated “smart switches” (known as reclosers and sectionalizers) on many of its distribution circuits.  These electronic devices sense trouble and isolate problems automatically, which reduces the impact of the incident on customers. PECO estimates that its investment in the new distribution automation will save a half million customer interruptions this year.

On Sunday night and Monday, PECO responded to 475 downed trees and outage events from the severe storms that were more localized in Chester County and other suburban areas.  More than 40,000 customers were affected due to the storm with 32,000 in Chester County. If needed, PECO will activate its emergency response center, mobilize all available personnel, and ensure work is coordinated in the most efficient and safe manner to restore service to customers.  For more information about PECO reliability programs, how to prepare for storms, what to do when the lights go out, and the storm restoration process, visit www.peco.com.

Electric Demand. Yesterday, PECO delivered an estimated 143.9 million kilowatt-hours (kwh) of electricity driven by the higher temperatures and humidity.  Electric demand peaked at 7,325 megawatts (mw) at 6 p.m., only the third time demand exceeded 7,000 mw this summer compared to 21 days by this point in the summer 2008.