PPL Electric Utilities stepped up its efforts to give electric customers tools to save money with the launch Tuesday (6/26) of a new “e-power” education campaign to promote energy efficiency and a new Web site that gives customers tools to help them take greater control of their electricity use.
“E-power is about building awareness and helping people understand just how much control they can have over their energy use,” said David G. DeCampli, president of PPL Electric Utilities.
“More and more, people are looking for ways to save energy and reduce their electric bills,” he said. “And we’re stepping up our efforts to give customers tools and information that they can use to make informed decisions that meet their needs.”
DeCampli said the new Web site and e-power campaign are featured in television ads that began airing Tuesday throughout the company’s service territory in eastern and central Pennsylvania.
Those ads, he said, encourage people to use the new Energy Analyzer tool on the company’s Web site. Additional ads will encourage customers to save paper and help protect the environment by viewing and paying bills online. Print educational advertising also is planned.
DeCampli said the Web site’s Energy Analyzer tool offers customers the ability to see detailed electricity-use information, understand where their homes use energy and compare the energy use of their homes with that of similar homes. Customers also will be able to create personalized home energy-use reports.
He said customers can use the site to calculate how much energy they use for heating, cooling, lighting, refrigeration and other appliances, and how much energy they can save by replacing existing equipment and appliances in their home with more energy-efficient models.
An energy library offers detailed information about everything from compact fluorescent lights to attic insulation.
The Web site also has a bill analyzer tool that allows customers to take a closer look at why one bill was higher than another and understand how much weather or changes in the home may have affected the bill.
Other features enable customers to sign up for paperless billing — where they receive e-mail notices rather than bills by mail — as well as budget billing and automatic bill payment. Customers also can schedule payments or make a payment arrangement if they are behind in their bills.
In addition, the new Web site offers an interactive electrical safety section with information, games, quizzes, activities and resources for children, parents and teachers.
“Our Web improvements are just one part of much broader effort to connect with customers and empower them by providing useful options and resources,” DeCampli said.
“We’re also reaching out more to community groups and making presentations about energy conservation, electricity rates and more. We’re using our ‘Connect’ customer newsletter to share energy-saving tips. We’re developing new energy-efficiency programs that could begin as early as 2008. And we’re continuing investments in technology that will enable us to offer a time-of-use rate option for all residential customers in 2010.”
DeCampli said the company will continue to look for new ways to reach out to customers and share messages that can make a difference. He encouraged customers to visit the new Web site at www.pplelectric.com to complete a home profile and learn more about ways they can save.
PPL Electric Utilities Corporation, a subsidiary of PPL Corporation that provides electricity delivery services to about 1.4 million customers in Pennsylvania, has consistently ranked among the best companies for customer service in the United States.