As the deep freeze continued Friday morning (1/24), the 1.3 million customers of PPL Electric Utilities set a new electricity-use record for the second day in a row.

At 7:15 a.m. Friday, customers used 7,155 megawatts of electricity, breaking the previous record of 7,096 megawatts set at 7:30 a.m. Thursday (1/23). Thursday morning's record also was topped Thursday evening, when customers used 7,143 megawatts of electricity at 6:15 p.m.

"In this kind of weather, our customers count on us for reliable electricity," said Mike Bray, president of PPL Electric Utilities. "Our equipment and power lines are operated and maintained to be prepared for the record level of use we're seeing this winter."

Power plant operations in the region have not been significantly affected by the cold. As a result, there is plenty of electricity available to meet the increased use.

Because of increased electricity use with the cold weather, customers should expect to receive higher-than-normal electric bills. The company offers a number of ways to help customers with bill payments, including a Budget Billing program that evens out payments over a 12-month period. To enroll, customers should call the company's toll-free phone number, 1-800-342-5775 (1-800 DIAL PPL).