Spring into Outdoor Chores Safely

Warm weather is here and so are outdoor chores such as gutter cleaning and landscaping. In celebration of National Electrical Safety Month, here are a few safety tips before you get started:

• Use a fiber glass or wooden ladder and maintain at least a 10-foot clearance when working near power lines
• Carry long or tall items such as ladders, scaffolding or tree sawsparallel to the ground to avoid contact with overhead wires
• Never touch a power line with any part of your body
• Wear goggles, gloves and enclosed footwear when handling electric or battery-operated tools

Visit our Safety Center page for more tips.

10 Electrical Safety Tips for Children

May is National Electrical Safety Month, so we would like to remind you how important it is to follow safety precautions and educate children about the dangers of misusing electricity and electrical devices. Here are a few safety tips for you and your children to always keep in mind:

1. Place safety covers over unused electric outlets to make sure your child does not stick their finger (or any other object) into the outlet

2. Do not let your child touch wires lying on the ground, or inside the house.

3. Keep balloons, kites and other toys away from overhead lines

4. Make sure your kite is made of wood, plastic or paper – never metal, foil or wire

5. Keep electric appliances at least 10 feet away from swimming pools

6. Never touch anything electrical with wet hands

7. Never unplug an appliance by pulling the cord

8. Never play around substations, utility towers or pad-mounted transformers (green metal boxes) or where “Danger: High Voltage” signs are posted

9. Never use electric appliances during a bath or shower, when standing near a sink or when standing in water

10. Never pour water on an electrical fire. If the home does not have an appropriate extinguisher (class A,B,C), use flour or baking soda

Visit our Safety Center page for more safety tips.

Delmarva Power Celebrates Earth Day 2013

To commemorate Earth Day, Delmarva Power and its employees will be volunteering and participating in a variety of events hosted by community organizations, schools and civic groups to enhance and protect our valuable natural resources.

We are prepared for possibility of continued heavy rain and gusty winds

We continue to restore service to customers affected by today’s winter storm.

“Despite challenging conditions, we’re responding as quickly and as safely as possible to deal with the power outages throughout our service territory,” said Gary Stockbridge, Delmarva Power Region President. “Because this storm is expected to last for several more hours, customers should expect the possibility of power outages through the night.”

Customers are asked to call Delmarva Power to report a power outage, a gas emergency and if they see a downed or damaged power line. Stay away from downed wires. Assume any downed wire is energized. The numbers to call are:

• Delaware: New Castle County: 1-800-898-8042, Kent and Sussex counties: 1-800-898-8045.
• Maryland: Cecil and Harford counties: 1-800-898-8042; Eastern Shore: 1-800-898-8045.
• To report a Delmarva Power natural gas emergency in New Castle County, call 302-454-0317.

For more information and updates, follow Delmarva Power at http://twitter.com/DelmarvaConnect.

We Are Prepared for a Winter Storm

We are closely monitoring a wintry mix of hazardous weather that is expected to reach our region this evening. The National Weather Service is predicting that the Delmarva Peninsula will experience rain, high winds and snow into Thursday. Storms can bring down tree limbs onto power lines, causing power outages. We will schedule and adjust our workforce to respond to any outages that may occur.

We urge customers to stay safe and offers the following preparation and safety tips.

Preparation Tips

• Have adequate prescription medicines or infant supplies on hand.
• If you or someone you know uses life-support equipment that requires electricity to operate, identify a location with emergency power capabilities and make plans to go there during a prolonged outage.
• Assemble an emergency storm kit. Include a battery-powered radio or television, flashlight, a first-aid kit, battery-powered or windup clock, extra batteries, special needs items, an insulated cooler and a list of important and emergency phone numbers.
• Keep at least a three-day supply of non-perishable foods and bottled water and have a hand-operated can opener available.
• Have a telephone with a cord or cell phone to use as a backup. Cordless telephones require electricity to operate, and won’t work if there is an outage.
• Protect your electronic equipment. Unplug sensitive electronics or plug computers and other sensitive equipment into surge suppressors, and consider a UPS (uninterruptible power supply) for temporary battery backup power.
• Turn off power to flood-prone basement appliances if it is safe to do so. However, if you have an electrically operated sump pump, you should not turn off your power.
• Fill your gas tank so you can run your automobile to charge mobile devices. In order to operate the vehicle safely, be sure to open garage doors, using manual door controls if your power goes out.

Safety Tips

• Tune in to local news broadcasts for the latest weather and emergency information.
• Follow the advice of your local emergency management officials.
• If you need to use a portable generator, follow the manufacturer’s instructions and use only when necessary. Don’t overload it and turn it off at night while you sleep and when you are away from home.
• Take cover if necessary.

Customers are asked to call Delmarva Power to report a power outage, a gas emergency and/or if they see a downed or damaged power line. Stay away from downed wires. Assume any downed wire is energized. The numbers to call are:

• Delaware: New Castle County: 1-800-898-8042, Kent and Sussex counties: 1-800-898-8045.
• Maryland: Cecil and Harford counties: 1-800-898-8042; Eastern Shore: 1-800-898-8045.
• To report a Delmarva Power natural gas emergency in New Castle County, call 302-454-0317.

For more information and updates, follow Delmarva Power on Twitter and Facebook.

Investing in Our Communities; Planning for the Future

We’re actively planning for the future, making investments in our infrastructure to keep pace with the growth in demand for electricity.

We continue to implement our reliability improvement efforts. We have identified and prioritized areas in our system where upgrades to critical infrastructure will enhance and maintain service to customers.

During the last five years, we have invested millions of dollars in transmission and distribution upgrades on the Delaware peninsula. In the next five years, we’ll spend approximately $1.5 billion more.

Improvement projects across the service area include:

• Upgrading priority feeders and substations
• Trimming 1,600 miles of tree-lined roadways
• Replacing, renewing and building new power lines
• Expanding customer service efforts
• Upgrading the manual collection of distribution system information to digital technology

Electricity is an essential part of everyone’s lives. It’s a necessity, not a luxury, and we are committed to providing reliable, safe electric service to all of our customers.

Maryland customers: Save money this weekend by combining Maryland’s Tax-Free Weekend with Delmarva Power Rebates to Save on New ENERGY STAR® Appliances

During Maryland’s Tax Free Weekend, February 16-18, residential customers in Maryland have a unique opportunity to save energy and money by purchasing ENERGY STAR appliances.

This weekend, customers will not have to pay Maryland’s 6 percent sales tax when they purchase select ENERGY STAR certified products such as standard size refrigerators, clothes washers, room air conditioners, dehumidifiers, heat pumps, and compact fluorescent light bulbs. To save even more, we encourage Maryland residential customers to combine these tax savings with President’s Day sales and Pepco rebates on select energy efficient appliances.

Participating in Delmarva Power ’s Appliance Rebate Program is easy: simply purchase ENERGY STAR appliances at any retailer, and then print and submit one of the relevant rebate applications below for each qualified appliance.

 Save $50–$100 on ENERGY STAR Certified Clothes Washers

Save $25 on ENERGY STAR Certified Dehumidifiers

Save $350 on ENERGY STAR Certified Electric Heat Pump Water Heaters

Save $25 on Energy-Efficient Electric Water Heaters

Save $75 on ENERGY STAR Certified Freezers

Save $100–$150 on ENERGY STAR Certified Refrigerators

Save $25 on ENERGY STAR Certified Room Air Conditioners

 The Appliance Rebate Program is part of Pepco’s portfolio of energy efficiency programs that are designed to support Governor Martin O’Malley’s EmPOWER Maryland initiative to reduce energy consumption in the state by 15 percent by the year 2015.