News Releases

Out of the house or out of town does not mean out of touch for PPL Electric Utilities customers. 

There are now four myPPL Alerts available for customers to get important information by phone, email or text message on power outages, their bill, monthly usage or the utility’s Price to Compare. Customers need only have a myPPL profile to participate. Customers who don’t have one will be prompted to register.

“Customers want important, useful information on their terms and these alerts do just that,” said Bob Geneczko, vice president of Customer Services for PPL Electric Utilities. “They’ll be able to stay current during an outage that might affect their home or business or get other information to help them make more informed energy decisions.”

Geneczko said that with wireless communications devices like cell phones, smartphones and more now outnumbering the population in the United States, setting up the alerts will be a great fit for a very connected customer base.

Signing up at www.pplelectric.com/alerts is free, easy and secure. Customers can set up myPPL Alerts on their home phone, smartphone or email — or all three.

Alert descriptions follow:

Outages

Customers who sign up will receive an Outage Alert if power at their home or business is out longer than 30 minutes. They’ll receive updates when the outage status changes. This is an upgrade to the previous outage update system that used only phone calls to provide restoration information.

A convenient feature we’ve built into our 24/7 Outage Alerts is the ability to turn them off, so to speak, so customers don’t get alerts when they don’t want them. They can set a quiet period in advance to prevent alerts from being sent during hours they choose. And there is a “sleep” feature available for voice or text devices that will temporarily stop messages for eight hours after the sleep feature is activated.

As always, we encourage customers to report outages when they occur at 1-800-342-5775 or online at www.pplelectric.com/outage. Reporting helps PPL Electric Utilities better determine the size and scope of an outage. Customers reporting an outage can enroll in Outage Alerts to receive restoration updates if they have not previously enrolled. 

If customers receive an outage alert, then PPL Electric Utilities already knows about the issue.

Also, customers shouldn’t forget they can use their mobile device to access the new mobile outage website.

Customers who access www.pplelectric.com/outage through a mobile device will automatically see a mobile-friendly view of the key outage features available on the full site, with no download required. They also can bookmark the mobile site Web address: m.pplelectric.com.

Price to Compare

The Price to Compare is the rate for generation and transmission services for customers who have not switched to an alternate generation supplier. PPL Electric Utilities buys that power on their behalf and passes it on without profit.

The price changes every three months, on March 1, June 1, Sept. 1 and Dec. 1.

A customer who signs up for the Price to Compare alert will get one alert in the month prior to the price change. It reminds customers of the upcoming adjustment, making them a more informed electricity shopper.

Bill Alert and Abnormal Usage

The Bill Alert allows customers to set an amount for their monthly bill and be notified if charges exceed that amount.

The Abnormal Usage Alert will notify customers if their electricity use is unusually high — at least 50 percent higher than their 90-day average for three consecutive days. Time of year and time of the week are considered.

PPL Electric Utilities is piloting the Price to Compare, Bill Alert and Abnormal Usage alerts to understand how they help customers manage their electricity use.

PPL Electric Utilities, a subsidiary of PPL Corporation (NYSE: PPL), provides electric delivery services to about 1.4 million customers in Pennsylvania and has consistently ranked among the best companies for customer service in the United States. More information is available at www.pplelectric.com.