Illinois electricity utility Commonwealth Edison Co. (ComEd) has released an online map and a smartphone app to help better communicate with customers about power outages during storms and provide information about how the utility is responding.

ComEd announced May 7 that it had a new color-coded map on its website that would allow customers to easily find clear information about power outages. The map, which is auto-updated every 30 minutes, provides details such as crew status and estimated power restoration time.

Presumably, customers who are experiencing a power outage and can’t access the map on their computers could still access the map with a battery-powered mobile device with a cellular data plan, such as an iPhone, iPad or Android smartphone or tablet.

The utility also announced a free mobile app for iPhone and Android smartphones that will help customers easily report power outages and check restoration status. The app can be downloaded from ComEd’s website or the Apple and Android app stores.

Sources

“ComEd Adds Map, Mobile App to Storm Response Tools,” Bloomberg Businessweek, May 8, 2012.

If you live in the Baltimore, Maryland area and Baltimore Gas and Electric (BGE) delivers gas or electricity to your home, here’s the information you need to contact the utility in case of an emergency or power outage:

For emergencies, call 800.685.0123, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. If there’s a downed or damaged power line or if you smell natural gas, first make sure you’re safe by leaving the area immediately, then call BGE to report the emergency.

For power outages, call 877.778.2222, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. If there’s a power outage, BGE relies on you to call it in. Make sure the phone number on your account is handy, as the utility will use it to verify your identity and location.

For streetlight outages, call 410.470.9446 or 800.685.0123. You can also fill out an outage report online.

If you need assistance, foreign-language interpreters are available for Spanish, Mandarin, Cantonese, Vietnamese, Korean and other non-English speaking customers.

If you live in Ohio, natural gas is delivered to your home by one of four natural gas utilities: Columbia Gas of Ohio, Dominion East Ohio, Duke Energy Ohio or Vectren Energy Delivery of Ohio. If you’re like many residents in Ohio, you also have the power to choose which company you buy your natural gas from.

Here is some helpful information that will come in handy when contacting your Ohio natural gas utility, reporting emergencies, shopping around for a natural gas supplier, and for general information, like knowing your rights as a natural gas customer and understanding how to read your natural gas bill.

Ohio Natural Gas Utility Contact Information

Columbia Gas of Ohio
www.columbiagasohio.com
800.344.4077
For emergency service: 800.344.4077

Dominion East Ohio
www.dom.com
800.950.7989
For emergency service: 877.542.2630

Duke Energy Ohio
www.duke-energy.com/ohres
800.544.6900
For emergency service: 800.634.4300

Vectren Energy Delivery of Ohio
www.vectren.com
800.227.1376
For emergency service: 800.227.1376

How to Choose a Natural Gas Supplier if You Have Energy Choice

Choosing a natural gas supplier

Natural Gas Apples to Apples Comparison Charts:

• Duke Energy Ohio
• Columbia Gas of Ohio
• Dominion East Ohio
• Vectren Energy

General Consumer Information

Understanding your natural gas bill

Natural gas customers’ Bill of Rights

Natural Gas Service Area Maps:

• Entire State
• By Individual Utility
• By Individual County

Some quick news on the snowstorm slamming the Northeast:

• Anywhere from scattered traces to 30 inches of wet, heavy snow has been dropped from Maryland to Maine. Areas in western Massachusetts were among the hardest hit, with 26-27 inches of snow dropped in Plainview and Windsor.
• Power outages are widespread. More than 800,000 have lost power in Connecticut over the weekend. As of early today, 750,000 were still without power, along with around 400,000 in New Jersey, 200,000 in Pennsylvania and 270,000 in New York.
• There have been fatalities associated with the snowstorm, with sources reporting between 10 to 12 deaths due to the weather. States of emergency have been declared in Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Jersey and portions of New York.
• Snow-laden trees falling have done more than just cut residential power delivery. Rail lines across the region have also been disrupted. Amtrak has suspended service on several routes, and one train from Chicago to Boston was stuck overnight in Massachusetts. A spokesperson said service would remain suspended until further notice from New Haven to Springfield; Washington, D.C. to Pittsburgh; New Haven to St. Albans, Vt.; and between Albany and Boston.

A few other details on the surprise storm:

• School districts across the region were forced to cancel or delay classes.
• Some local officials have been forced to delay Halloween trick-or-treating, saying local sidewalks are unsafe due to fallen trees and power lines. Worcester, Massachusetts is asking parents to hold off on taking their children trick-or-treating until Thursday to give workers time to clear up fallen trees and power outages.
• In a few ways, the damage from the storm could be long-term: New York City’s famed Central Park could lose up to 1,000 trees due to the storm, according to the group that manages the park.

To report outages in your area, click here for a full list of utility outage contact information.

Tips to Stay Safe and Warm

If you didn’t have a chance to winterize your home ahead of the storm, you’re probably not alone: given the early nature of this storm, lots of people were caught by surprise. Here are a few things you can do to stay safe and prevent additional damages to your home.

First off, keep your water pipes intact. One big concern on the part of lots of homeowners is preventing pipes from freezing and bursting. Make sure to set your faucets to drip, especially at night.

Right now, lots of people are looking to keep warm. If you are using a space heater or fireplace to keep your home warm, here are some safety tips:

• Establish a three-foot safety radius around your heater, furnace, fireplace or space heater. That means that anything that can burn should be kept at least three feet from heating equipment. (The same goes for children and pets: the three-foot radius should be thought of as a kid-free zone.)
• Make sure the screen in front of the fireplace is securely drawn to keep sparks from flying into the room.
• It may be really tempting to use your gas oven for heating, especially if the electricity is out in your neighborhood. Don’t do it. Using an open oven in a closed house burns oxygen, thereby causing improper combustion of gas. The prolonged use of an open oven in a poorly ventilated house can result in carbon monoxide, which is odorless, invisible and potentially lethal.

Of course, the real challenge many New Englanders are facing right now is how to stay warm with the power out. Here are a few suggestions:

• The first place to start: bundle up. Multiple layers of clothing, especially with wool or cotton, can help you retain heat. When you’re sitting still, wrap up in a quilt or blanket.
• Stay in a smaller room in your home until power is restored.
• Do you have curtains or blinds over the windows? Open them when the sun is shining, and close them when it isn’t.
• Close off any unused rooms. Closing off any space between you and the outdoors amounts to a barrier between you and the frigid weather outside. It also reduces air circulation, which in turn reduces heat loss.
• Roll up towels or shirts and stuff them into the bottom of doors or windows, or into any noticeable leaks.
• If possible, put down a rug or carpet to create a bit of insulation for your floor.

Keep an eye on our blog for additional information on the storm.

Sources:

“Winter Storm Slams US Northeast, Cancels Halloween” – GlobalPost.com, October 31, 2011.

“Snowstorm Tangles Commutes in Northeast” – Wall Street Journal, October 31, 2011.

“Early Snow Affects Millions” – Associated Press, October 30, 2011.

“How to Stay Warm at Home Without a Heater” – Wikihow.com.

“Heating Safety Tips” – National Fire Protection Association.

To assist areas that may be affected by Hurricane Irene, we've compiled the following list of utility contact information. Contact your utility company, not your electric supplier, to report an outage. Utility systems can locate generalized outages, but you should report your specific outage to help pinpoint areas with the most need. (UPDATE: Click here for a separate post we're updating with the latest news on Irene, including maps and stats.)

If you would like to see information added to this list, leave a note in the comment thread below.

(NOTE: Print this list out for reference in case you lose power! )

New England:

Connecticut Light & Power (CL&P) All non-UI Areas in Connecticut
Report Outage: 1-800-286-2000
Report Outage Online: https://www.cl-p.com/customer/outage/outagelogin.aspx?sec=fb
Storm Center: http://www.cl-p.com/stormcenter/default.aspx
Outage Map: http://www.cl-p.com/outage/OutageMap.aspx
Follow on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/CTLightandPower
Get Mobile Updates: Text “outage” and your zip code to 24612

United Illuminating (UI) New Haven and Bridgeport, CT
Report Outage: 1-800-7CALL-UI or 203-499-3333
Storm Center: http://bit.ly/r9zen0
Outage Map: http://bit.ly/rn6cqA
Follow on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/UnitedIllum
If you need additional assistance, please call Connecticut's toll-free Infoline, 2-1-1

National Grid – Western Mass
Report Gas Emergency: 1-800-892-2345
Report Power Outage (New England): 1-800-465-1212
Storm Center: https://www.nationalgridus.com/niagaramohawk/storm/storm.asp
Outage Map: http://www1.nationalgridus.com/niagaramohawk/stormcenter/
Follow on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/NationalGridUS

NSTAR – Cape Cod/South Shore Area
Report Outage: 800-592-2000
Storm Center: http://www.nstar.com/residential/storm_center/default.asp

Pennsylvania-

PECO - Philadelphia, PA
Report Outage: 1-800-841-4141
Mobile Outage Reporting: http://www.peco.com/mobile
View Mobile Outage Info: http://www.peco.com/mobile/outageinfo
Outage Map: http://www.peco.com/outagemap
Storm Center: http://www.peco.com/StormCentral

PPL Electric Utilities – Harrisburg, Lancaster, Williamsport, Hazleton, Scranton, Bethlehem, PA
Report Outage: 1-800-DIAL-PPL
Report Outage Online: https://selfserv.pplelectric.com/EUSelfServ/Outage/ReportOutage.aspx
Outage Map: https://selfserv.pplelectric.com/EUSelfServ/Outage/OutageMap.aspx
Storm Center: http://www.pplelectric.com/Outage+Center/preparing+for+storms.htm

Mid-Atlantic-

Baltimore Gas & Electric (BGE) – Baltimore, MD
Report Outage: 1-877-778-2222
Outage Map: http://www.bge.com/customerservice/stormsoutages/currentoutages/Pages/default.aspx
Storm Center: http://www.bge.com/customerservice/stormsoutages/stormcenter/Pages/default.aspx
Follow on Twitter: http://twitter.com/MyBGE

Delmarva Power – Delmarva Peninsula (Maryland and Delaware)
Natural Gas Outages: 302-454-0317
NCCo, Cecil, Harford Power Outages: 1-800-898-8042
Kent, Sussex, Eastern Shore Power Outages: 1-800-898-8045
Outage Map: http://www.delmarva.com/home/emergency/maps/stormcenter/
Storm Center: http://www.delmarva.com/welcome/news/releases/archives/2011/article.aspx?cid=1815
Follow on Twitter: http://twitter.com/DelmarvaConnect

Allegheny Power – Western Maryland
Report Outage: 1-800-Allegheny (1-800-255-3443)
Outage Center: http://www.alleghenypower.com/CSC/Services/PowerOutages.asp
Outage Map: https://app.alleghenyenergy.com/outagestatus/Map/AE_MAP1.html

Potomac Electric Power Co (PEPCO) – Washington DC and Maryland
Report Outages: 1-877-PEPCO-62
Report Outage Online: http://www.pepco.com/home/emergency/report/online/
Storm Center: http://www.pepco.com/welcome/news/releases/archives/2011/article.aspx?cid=1814
Outage Map: http://www.pepco.com/home/emergency/maps/stormcenter/

New York/New Jersey:
ConEdison – New York City
Report Outage: 1-800-75-CONED
Report Outage Online: https://apps1.coned.com/csol/reportoutage.asp
Storm Center: http://www.coned.com/sm/storm_prepare/hurricane.asp
Outage Map: http://apps.coned.com/weboutageinfo/stormcenter/default.aspx

National Grid – Long Island, Upstate New York
Report Gas Emergency: 1-800-892-2345
Report Power Outage (New York): 1-800-867-5222
Report Power Outage (New England): 1-800-465-1212
Storm Center: https://www.nationalgridus.com/niagaramohawk/storm/storm.asp
Outage Map: http://www1.nationalgridus.com/niagaramohawk/stormcenter/
Follow on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/NationalGridUS

PSE&G – Central Jersey
Report Outage: 1-800-436-PSEG
Report Outage Online: http://bit.ly/rc2w8l
Outage Center: http://www.pseg.com/outagecenter
Outage Map: http://www.pseg.com/home/customer_service/outage_info/outagemap.jsp
Follow on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/psegoutageinfo

Jersey Central Power & Light (JCP&L) – Central Jersey
Report Outages: 1-888-LIGHTSS (1-888-544-4877
Report Outage Online: https://www.firstenergycorp.com/outages_help/Report_Power_Outages.html
Outage Map: https://www.firstenergycorp.com/outages/outages.do?state_code=NJ

Orange & Rockland Electric Company – NW New York City Suburbs and Northern New Jersey
Report Gas Leak: 1-800-533-5325
Report Power Outage: 1-877-434-4100
Report Outage Online: https://apps.coned.com/oronline/outage/electricoutage.aspx
Outage Map: http://wp1.coned.com/or_stormcenter/default.aspx

Atlantic City Electric – South Jersey
Report Outage: 1-800-833-7476
Storm Center: http://www.atlanticcityelectric.com/welcome/news/releases/archives/2011/article.aspx?cid=1816
Outage Map: http://www.atlanticcityelectric.com/home/emergency/maps/stormcenter/default.aspx
Follow on Twitter: http://twitter.com/ACElecConnect

Whenever you lose power, it’s important to know who to call to report the problem. Many Texas consumers think you should report outages to the company that sends you your bill, your residential electric supplier; however, you actually need to report the outage to your electric utility. Your electric utility is responsible for reliability issues, such as power outages, downed power lines and maintenance.

Because hurricane season starts June 1, we put together a list of all the electric utility emergency contact numbers that Spark Energy customers in Texas can call if their power ever goes out, even in the event of a hurricane.

It might be best to print out this information and keep it handy. After all, if the power goes out, you won’t be able to come back to this webpage for the information.

Contacting Your Electric Utility

If you don’t know who your electric utility is, find your electric bill and look for “Local Distribution Company.” Your electric utility is identified here. The following emergency numbers should be there as well, but we’ve also listed them here for your convenience.

Oncor - 888-313-4747

TNMP - 888-866-7465

Customers in TNMP’s service area are encouraged to select option 2 when they call in order to hear a recorded message about known power outages. Customers who don’t hear a message about their power outage should select option 1 to be transferred to an agent who will record their information.

Centerpoint

For power outages: 800-332-7143 or 713-207-2222

For downed power lines: 713-207-2222

AEP Texas (AEP Texas Central Company and AEP Texas North Company)

Customers in AEP Texas’ service areas — which include customers of AEP Texas Central Company and AEP Texas North Company — are asked not to call the utility in case of a major storm, such as a hurricane. According to the utility’s website:

“In the immediate aftermath of a major storm, we ask that you call only to report safety hazards such as downed power lines or equipment that is sparking. During major storms, our telephone lines can become overloaded with customer calls. In these situations, we are aware of major damage to long-distance transmission lines and distribution circuits.”

For downed power lines and other safety hazards: 866-223-8505

For power outages not the result of a major storm: go online at http://www.aeptexas.com/outages/report.