Con Edison Workers Taking the Heat to Keep Power Flowing to Customers

Con Edison workers are in the sweaty streets of New York City and Westchester County working to keep service reliable for customers.

Crews are working to restore power to 1,000 customers, about half of whom are in the Bronx. They have already restored service to about 6,000 customers since Sunday.

Con Edison offers energy savings tips to help customers conserve and lower their bills.

The company has taken special steps – such as rolling generators to certain neighborhoods – to keep service reliable during the heat wave. Operators have managed voltage levels and crews have cooled transformers.

Demand for power in New York City and Westchester County during the heat wave reached a peak of 11,730 megawatts. That occurred on Monday afternoon.

To make it easier for customers to report outages, Con Edison sent more than 1.7 million text messages to customers to open direct lines of communication with them if they need to report an outage. A customer need only reply OUT to the text message to report an outage.

Customers who did not receive a text can report outages and check service restoration status at http://coned.com/out or text REG to OUTAGE (688243) and follow the prompts to sign up for notifications. Customers can also call 1-800-75-CONED (1-800-752-6633). When calling, customers should report whether their neighbors also have lost power.

Customers who report outages will receive updates from Con Edison with their estimated restoration times as they become available. Information on outages and restoration times is also available at the Con Edison outage map.

In addition, Con Edison’s mobile apps for iOS or Android allow customers to manage accounts, report and check the status of an outage, access energy-saving tips, and more.

Heat, humidity and increased demand for electricity to power air conditioners can cause cables to overheat and lead to outages.

Con Edison personnel practice social distancing to keep everyone safe from the coronavirus. Con Edison is following the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines during the health emergency.

Especially in times of high demand, Con Edison recommends customers use energy wisely with these money and energy-saving tips:

• Make sure air conditioner filters are clean so the units will run at peak efficiency;
• Set thermostats to the highest comfortable temperature. Each degree lower increases cooling costs;
• If you have a room air-conditioning unit, close off the rooms not being used; if you have central air, block the vents in unused or vacant rooms;
• To reduce heat and moisture in your home, run appliances such as ovens, washing machines, dryers and dishwashers in the early morning or late at night when it’s generally cooler outside. Use a microwave to cook, if possible;
• Keep shades, blinds and curtains closed. About 40 percent of unwanted heat comes through windows. Simply drawing blinds and curtains, which act as a layer of insulation, can reduce heat in your apartment or home;
• Turn off air conditioners, lights and other appliances when not at home.

Con Edison offers incentives for customers who make energy efficiency upgrades.

Residential customers can get a $50 discount for buying a smart thermostat at Con Edison Marketplace and another $85 for registering it with Con Edison’s Bring Your Own Thermostat (BYOT) Program.

Customers can follow Con Edison on Twitter or on Facebook for general outage updates, safety tips and storm preparation information.