Con Edison Prepared As Heat Wave Brings Possible Thunderstorms

Con Edison is prepared to respond to outages to customers who rely on the overhead electric delivery system, as the high heat may bring periodic thunderstorms the next two days.

Storms with strong winds can knock trees and branches into wires, poles and transformers, causing customers to lose power.

Con Edison warns that members of the public should stay away from downed wires because they may be live. Do not touch them with your hands or any object. Call Con Edison or your police department if you see downed wires.

Depending on the severity of storm damage, crews will give priority to restoring service lines that will provide power to the most customers as quickly as possible, then move on to restore smaller groups and individual customers.

Con Edison offers the following safety tips:

• Be mindful that downed wires can be hidden from view by tree limbs, leaves or water. If a line falls on your car while you’re in it, stay inside the vehicle and wait for emergency personnel;
• If your power goes out, disconnect or turn off appliances that would otherwise turn on automatically when service is restored. If several appliances start up at once, the electric circuits may overload;
• Check to make sure your flashlights and any battery-operated radios are in working order. Make sure you have a supply of extra batteries;
• Weather updates and news on restorations of electrical service can be heard on most local radio and television stations.

Crews are working to restore power to about 600 customers, most of whom are in Brooklyn. Since Sunday, crews have restored power to 11,500 customers.

To make it easier for customers to report outages, Con Edison sent more than 1.7 million text messages to customers before the heat wave to open 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.

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.

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.

Con Edison recommends customers use energy wisely:

• 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.