Investments in Local Energy Grid Result in Customers Experiencing Lowest Power Outage Rate in PECO History

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PECO worker
Image via PECO.
PECO kept the lights on for its customers at a record level in 2023, thanks to heavy investments in infrastructure and embracing cutting-edge tech.
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PECO’s significant infrastructure investments, use of innovative technologies such as automated devices, and its dedicated employees all helped the company keep the lights on for customers at a record level in 2023.

Despite the impacts of several severe storms, PECO customers experienced the lowest power outage rate in company history, with 86 percent of PECO customers experiencing zero or one outage in 2023. Even when outages could not be prevented, crews were able to safely restore power in just 90 minutes, on average.

This record reliability performance is a result of the work PECO is doing to modernize the electric grid and make it stronger, more weather-resistant, and less vulnerable to storm damage. These efforts are part of PECO’s investment of approximately $9.3 billion during the next five years across its electric and natural gas systems to complete targeted system enhancements and corrective maintenance, invest in new equipment, inspect equipment, and perform necessary tree trimming and other vegetation management. Continued infrastructure investments will also help the company meet the growing energy demands of customers and support future growth and development.

“This is a major accomplishment for our company and for our customers,” said Nicole LeVine, PECO’s Senior Vice President and COO. “Our dedicated employees work so hard every day to prevent those outages that can be prevented and to provide our customers with the level of service they have come to expect from PECO. We look forward to building on this milestone and our five-year system investment plan will help drive this effort.”

In 2023 alone, PECO completed more than 200 major electric reliability projects across southeastern Pennsylvania as part of PECO’s Reliability & Resiliency Plan, which outlines investments to make the company’s energy infrastructure more resilient in the face of intensifying weather patterns and to enable clean energy resources.

PECO continues to explore innovative technologies, which include using drones to enable more efficient equipment inspections and faster damage assessments following storms, installing stronger poles and tree-resistant aerial cable, and installing specialized equipment, known as reclosers, that can automatically restore service or isolate storm damage. Additionally, the company utilizes smart meters, which help confirm whether customers were restored during a storm, saving a crew from being dispatched unnecessarily. This work has helped improve reliability and reduce costs for customers by avoiding outages and increasing efficiency in identifying and restoring outages that cannot be avoided.

Learn more about PECO’s legacy of innovation and and how it is advancing smart energy to provide safe, reliable, affordable, and clean energy and energy services for its customers and the communities it serves.​

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