Energy Saving Tips for the Winter Season

• Set your thermostat at 68 degrees during the day and 60 degrees at night. You can save 3 percent on your heating costs for every degree you reduce the temperature below 70 degrees.
  Special Advice to Heat Pump Owners: Heat pumps need to stay at a constant setting, unless you have a programmable electronic heat pump thermostat with adaptive recovery. Check with your heating or air conditioning contractor to determine the type of thermostat you have.
• Winterize windows with weather stripping (for all moveable joints) and caulk (for non-moving parts). Also, install a window kit to the inside of your windows to help keep cold air out and warm air in.
• Change filters once a month. A well-maintained heating system can save money and increase the comfort level in your home.
• Airtight fireplace doors eliminate drafts and add a layer of fire control.  You may be losing more heat than you are generating if your fireplace is not airtight.
• Inspect ductwork for any air leakage. If you do feel air leaking at joints, use silver metal duct tape to seal them. You could save up to 10% of your heating costs by eliminating those leaks.

Help manage your energy costs with detailed information and online tools available to Delmarva Power customers through My Account.

Understanding and Preparing for Outages

Five Tips to Help Prepare for Storms

1. Assemble a storm kit
   Include nonperishable foods, bottled water, a telephone with a cord or a cellphone, a flashlight, battery-powered radio, medicines, and infant supplies.
2. Develop an emergency plan and practice it regularly
   Identify special needs of family members, particularly infants and elderly persons. If someone relies on life-support equipment, identify an alternative location with power where they can go during a storm.
3. Protect electronic equipment
   Plug items such as computers, televisions and DVD players into electrical surge protectors.
4. Update your contact information
   Update your phone number to help us respond more quickly to outages. Call our Customer Care Service Center at 1-800-375-7117. Please have your Delmarva account number handy.
5. Sign up for the Emergency Medical Equipment Notification Program
   Customers who rely on electricity to power life-support equipment can learn of planned outages and severe weather that could disrupt power. To enroll, call 1-800-375-7117.

The Restoration Process

Our damage assessment and restoration process begins once the storm has passed and it’s safe for our personnel to proceed with gathering information and determining the extent of the damage in the affected areas. Your telephone call reporting an outage is vital because it will be combined with other customers’ calls and computer programs will analyze that information to make a prediction as to what lines or other equipment may be out of service. This helps our line crews find the locations of the outages more quickly.

To report an outage, please call:

• New Castle County Delaware and Cecil and Harford counties in Maryland: 800-898-8042
• Kent and Sussex counties in Delaware and the Eastern Shore of Maryland: 800-898-8045
• New Castle County Delaware Natural Gas Emergencies:
  302-454-0317.

In the event our system is damaged by severe weather, Delmarva Power repairs equipment which will restore the largest numbers of customers first.

In general, the sequence is as follows:

1. Downed live wires or potentially life-threatening situations and public health and safety facilities without power.
2. Transmission lines serving thousands of customers.
3. Substation equipment.
4. Main distribution lines serving large numbers of customers.
5. Secondary lines serving neighborhoods.
6. Service lines to individual homes and businesses.

For more ways to prepare and save, check out the latest issue of the Delmarva Power Lines newsletter. The feature story, “January Is a Good Time to ‘Take Five’” gives you five tips each for preparing for winter storms, indoor electrical safety and saving energy & money. Our Lines newsletter comes with your mailed or emailed bill.

Helpful Delmarva.com Links

• Natural Gas Operations
• Safety Center
• Outages and Emergency Preparedness
• My Account
• News and Information
• Contact Us

Gift of Energy payments can be made in person, by check or credit card, at one of the company’s participating Delaware Walk-In offices. The program, which is available for all Delmarva Power accounts, launches today and runs through January 15, 2012.

How to Buy a Gift of Energy

• Visit a Delmarva Power Walk-In Office in Delaware;
• Provide the Customer Care representative with the name and address of the gift recipient;
• Make a payment in any amount you choose; and
• Receive a holiday greeting card to give to your special gift recipient, compliments of Delmarva Power.

Where to Buy a Gift of Energy

Wilmington Walk-In Office
630 Martin Luther King Blvd.
Monday – Friday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

New Castle Regional Walk-In Office
I-95 at Route 273 in Newark
Monday – Friday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Millsboro Walk-In Office
700 E. DuPont Highway , Millsboro
Monday – Friday, 9:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.

• Inspect electrical decorations before using them and replace any that are damaged.
• When decorating outside, make certain you, and any objects you may be carrying, such as a ladder, do not come into contact with power lines. Carry ladders and other equipment parallel to the ground.
• Use only non-combustible or flame-resistant tree decorations.
• If using a live or cut tree, water the tree daily and remember to keep it away from fireplaces and other heat sources. Heated rooms dry trees out quickly, creating fire hazards.
• Look for and eliminate potential danger spots near candles, fireplaces, trees and/or electrical connections.
• Never use more than three standard–size sets of lights per single extension cord.
• Indoors or outside, use only lights that have been tested for safety by nationally recognized laboratories such as Underwriter’s Laboratory (UL).
• Never use electric lights on a metallic tree.
• To avoid injuries, be sure to follow directions carefully when using artificial snow sprays.
• Turn off all electrical decorations before going to bed or when leaving your house or business.
• Consider replacing traditional holiday lighting with light emitting diode (LED) lights. LEDs generate little or no heat, can last up to ten times longer and use less energy.

For more information about staying safe around electricity and natural gas, visit www.delmarva.com.

Always use appliances responsibly.  Keep an eye on pots and pans that are on hot burners and/or in hot ovens.  Be sure that pot handles cannot easily be caught on clothing and are out of reach of children and pets.

Natural gas stoves have the same  properties as grills. Use the flame size that fits the bottom of your cooking pot.  Larger flames waste natural gas and could damage your pan. Teach children to respect the stove and stay away to prevent accidents.

When using natural gas appliances, be sure they are in good working order and properly vented.  Do not use a natural gas stove or oven to heat your home. Only use appliances as intended.  Improperly used  and/or poorly vented appliances can cause a build up of carbon monoxide (CO) which can lead to carbon monoxide poisoning.

Have a working CO detector along with a working smoke alarm on every floor of your home or business.

Visit Delmarva Power’s Safety Center for helpful tips and literature on natural gas and electricity safety.

Well, if you sign up for Green Bill, Delmarva Power’s paperless billing option, by December 16, 2011 you’ll be entered for a chance to win $1,000.00!

Green Bill reduces waste and saves trees. It gives you the power to print your own statements when you need a paper copy.

Simply click on the My Account “First-Time User” link or, if you are a returning My Account user, click on the “Return User” link and choose the Green Bill option.

Visit Delmarva.com and sign up for Green Bill, today!

–

GREEN BILL CONTEST RULES

1. Eligibility: The Green Bill New Registration Contest is open to all active residential customers of Delmarva Power, Atlantic City Electric and/or Pepco who have not previously signed up for Green Bill. No purchase is necessary to enter the contest. Only one winner per household is permitted for the contest. Employees of Pepco Holdings, Inc., its affiliates and subsidiaries, including Delmarva Power, Atlantic City Electric and Pepco (collectively, “PHI”) along with PHI’s advertising agencies and their immediate family members are not eligible to participate in this contest.
2. Entries: Customers may participate by registering for Green Bill online at one of PHI’s Websites, Pepco.com, delmarva.com or atlanticcityelectric.com. No purchase is necessary to enter. Contest entries will be accepted from September 1, 2011 through December 16, 2011. All Greenbill registrants who registered during the contest period and are registered through December 16h will automatically be included in the contest. Only one entry per residential account is allowed. Three winners will be selected at random; one from each utility brand (Delmarva Power, Atlantic City Electric and Pepco).
3. Prize & Prize Delivery: Prize & Prize Delivery: Contest winners will receive a $1,000 gift card. Contest winners will be notified via certified mail by January 13, 2012 and do not have to be present to win. Prizes may be picked up at a company location selected by PHI. Contest winners must be prepared to show valid identification.
4. Prize Claim Deadlines: GGift cards must be redeemed by January 31, 2012 or the gift cards shall become the property of PHI. The total value of the gift card must be redeemed at one time.
5. Release: Each entrant or winner grants PHI the right to use his or her name to publicize the award of prizes.
6. Transferability: Gift cards are non-transferable and may not be redeemed for cash.
7. Right to make changes: PHI assumes the right to discontinue the contest and to change these and any contest rules at any time; such changes shall take effect immediately upon posting of such changes on this website.
8. Odds of Winning: The odds of winning depend solely upon the number of valid entries received.
9. Validity: Contest void where it is prohibited by law.
10. List of Winners: A list of contest winners may be obtained by writing to Pepco Holdings, Inc., My Account Contest Winners at PO Box 9239, 79NC62, Newark, DE 19714.

–

Go to Delmarva.com right now, and sign up for your chance to win!

Delmarva Power Energy Wise Rewards lets you earn up to $80 in bill credits*. Plus you’ll be making a positive contribution to the environment, our community, and your budget.

Enroll now to ensure you’ll earn the maximum bill credits* next summer. And when you choos ethe new Energy Wise Rewards programmable thermostat, you’ll start saving this season, too – up to 10% annually on your heating and cooling bills.**

Visit delmarva.com/rewards or call 1-866-353-5799 today to sign up and start saving money!

If you’re already an Energy Wise Rewards participant, visit delmarva.com/saveenergy to learn about other energy efficiency programs from Delmarva Power.

1)  What is a global ETR?

Answer: In short, a global ETR is the time by which we will restore every last customer that lost power during the storm.  It is dependent on the information that we have gathered and the resources we have available.  It does not mean that customers will not be restored before that time.

2)  What is the global ETR for outages caused by Hurricane Irene?

Answer:

• For our service territory in Kent and Sussex counties in Delaware and the Eastern Shore of Maryland, it is Tuesday, August 30 at 11:00 p.m.
• For our service territory in Cecil and Harford counties in Maryland and New Castle County Delaware, it is Thursday, September 1, 2011 at 12:00 p.m.

3)  Why did it take so long for the ETR to be available?

Answer:  Damage assessment is an integral step in the restoration process and is absolutely necessary to providing an accurate ETR.  Crews have to survey our entire service territory and determine how much work needs to be done for each reported damage location.  As I stated yesterday’s blog post, damage assessment can take days, but 24 hours into it, we’re able to begin providing ETRs.

4)  Why is the global ETR set for four days after Hurricane Irene?

Answer:  The damage that Hurricane Irene left behind was extensive.  A snapshot of that can be found in our Facebook photo gallery.  After closely evaluating all of the damage, our assessors determined that it will take until Tuesday in Kent and Sussex counties in Delaware and the Eastern Shore of Maryland; and Thursday in Cecil and Harford counties in Maryland and New Castle County Delaware to restore the very last customer affected by Hurricane Irene.

5)  When I called in, I received Thursday, September 1, 2011 at 12:00 p.m. as my ETR.  Does that mean I’m the last customer?

Answer:  No, that doesn’t mean you’re the last customer to be restored.  All customers without crews onsite at their outage location receive the same (global) ETR when they request their outage status from a Customer Care Representative.

Remember: A global ETR is the amount of time it will take to restore the last customer affected based on available information and resources.  Between now and then, crews will continue to work around the clock to restore everyone.  As work is assigned and crews arrive on location, updated ETRs will become available.

This remains an all-hands-on-deck, around-the-clock, effort with hundreds of Delmarva Power and out-of-town crews strategically mobilized to attack outages.

Hurricane Irene has passed through our service territory and left us with approximately 108K customers without service (as of 2:30 p.m.).  As expected, the main culprit is a combination of rain and sustained winds that caused weakened trees (and limbs) that came in contact with power lines.

In order to provide accurate ETRs, we must survey the electrical infrastructure, assess the damage and then determine how long it will take to make repairs to all affected customers.  The damage assessment phase of our restoration process takes up the first 24 to 48 hours after the event. ETRs usually become available within the first 24 hours after the storm has passed from all parts of our service territory.

We are currently restoring power as we assess damage. As soon as an accurate global ETR is possible we will get that information out to our customers. If you or a family member has special needs, such as relying on special medical equipment, you should act on your emergency plan.

Safety is our number one priority. Always stay away from downed power lines and assume they are live. Report any downed wires and outages by calling 1-800-898-8042 in New Castle County (DE) and Cecil and Harford Counties (MD) or 1-800-898-8045 in Kent and Sussex Counties (DE) and the Eastern Shore of Maryland.

We will continue to share information as it becomes available.

Natural Gas Safety

In the event of a flood, if you are able, turn your appliance gas valve off. Refer to the manufacturer’s instructions on how to turn off the appliance valve. After a flood, natural gas appliances should not be used until inspected by a licensed contractor for damage.

If you smell a strong gas odor after a flood

• Delmarva Power advises customers that if you notice a strong natural gas odor, or if there is other evidence of a natural gas leak, do not enter the premises.
• If you smell the odor of natural gas inside your home, please leave immediately.
• As a precaution, do not smoke, make a spark or flame, switch the lights on/off or raise/lower the windows.
• From a safe place, call Delmarva Power’s natural gas emergency number at 1-302-454-0317.
• Do not return until it is deemed safe.

Dear Emergency Management Partner:

Today Delmarva Power has received several questions from key stakeholders about shutting off power to certain areas prior to the arrival of Hurricane Irene.  At this time, we do not have plans in place to cut power to any areas prior to the storm.  In the past, there have been storms where Delmarva Power has proactively de-energized lines due to public safety concerns   

There are two primary issues that Delmarva Power evaluates prior to de-energizing an area – water levels and the integrity of Delmarva’s electrical infrastructure. 

Electric service could be temporarily interrupted as a result of significant flooding that submerges underground or ground level electrical equipment in low-lying areas.  In order to ensure the safety of customers and emergency service personnel, Delmarva Power may need to de-energize the facilities in a flooded community.  Should equipment need to be de-energized, service restoration will be dependent on how quickly water recedes from the affected areas. Customers should be prepared to be out of service until it is safe to re-energize the equipment.  We want the public to understand that flooded facilities will only be de-energized where it is absolutely necessary for safety reasons. 

In addition, high winds associated with a powerful storm such as Hurricane Irene could also dictate the need to de-energize overhead electrical equipment.  If during the course of the storm our transmission system exhibits behaviors that could cause damage to the infrastructure, our system operators may need to de-energize parts of the system.  In this case, proactively de-energizing equipment would aid Delmarva Power’s crews in restoring service to customers once the storm has passed.  

As always, customers who have questions about their service or need to report power outages, and downed or damaged power lines should call Delmarva Power’s Customer Care Department at 1-800-898-8045. Delmarva Power representatives will know which customers have had electric service interrupted for public safety reasons. 

Delmarva Power’s website enables customers to view outage information throughout the company’s service territory. To see the outage maps, or for more information on preparing for power outages, go to www.delmarva.com and click onto “Outages and Emergency Preparedness.” 

We are preparing for the storm and encourage our customers to do the same. These preparation tips may help you weather the storm:

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 or to a hospital 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.

 Safety Tips

• Tune in to local news broadcasts for the latest weather and emergency information.
• Follow the advice of your local emergency management officials.
• Take cover if necessary.
• Stay away from downed wires!

For natural gas emergencies, please call
302-454-0317.

To report an outage or downed wire, please call:

• 800-898-8042 inNew Castle, Cecil and Harford counties;
• 800-898-8045 inKentandSussexcounties and the Eastern Shore of Maryland.