Atlantic City Electric Summer Readiness Notification

Message from Atlantic City Electric:

With summer on the way, Atlantic City Electric wants you to know that we are ready. We have taken steps to prepare the local energy grid to meet increased customer demand and help ensure continued affordable and reliable energy service for our customers. Our crews have performed maintenance and inspections to prepare the grid for severe weather and help keep homes cool and bright and businesses operational all summer long.

As part of our preparedness for the summer, we conduct emergency response drills and complete testing of computer and emergency systems as part of our summer preparedness program.  Employees from across the company review emergency processes and procedures to help ensure a safe and efficient response to storms or emergencies.  As part of the Exelon family of companies, we share best practices with our sister companies (BGE, ComEd, Delmarva Power, PECO and Pepco) and participate in emergency response training exercises to ensure we can provide seamless support and resources during a storm or emergency restoration effort.  This practice of collaborating and sharing resources demonstrates the benefits of being part of the Exelon family of companies.

Every day, we are committed to providing safe, reliable and clean energy service, while helping to maintain affordability for our customers and communities.  Our customers depend on reliable energy service to power their lives.  We are investing every day in our systems to meet the growing energy needs of our customers and to provide a world-class customer experience. Because of this commitment customers experienced the most reliable service ever in 2022.  And, over the last 10 years, investments in the local energy grid have resulted in a 56 percent reduction in the frequency of power outages for our customers. Over the past year, Atlantic City Electric performed work on several projects to further improve service reliability. 

These projects include:

• Atlantic City/Brigantine Community Reliability Project – Modernized an existing substation and rebuilt two critical transmission lines between Atlantic City and Brigantine to strengthen the local energy infrastructure against more extreme weather and improve reliability for local customers.
• Upper Township to Dennis Township Reliability Project – Upgrading an existing transmission line between Beesley’s Point in Upper Township and Ocean View in Dennis Township by replacing the existing lattice transmission tower structures with new, stronger steel transmission poles that are prepared to handle more extreme weather and reduce the impacts of severe storms.
• Salem County Reliability Project – Upgrading approximately 3.5 miles of critical transmission line, that primarily runs along Route 130 between Penns Grove and Pennsville, to improve reliability for thousands of customers and meet the region’s current and future energy needs.  We are replacing the existing transmission line with stronger, state-of-the-art utility poles that are prepared to handle more extreme weather and reduce the impacts of severe storms.

We are continuing to install new smart meters across our entire service area as part of our Smart Energy Network program.  Most of our customers are welcoming the installation of these new meters that will provide many benefits, including helping them save energy and money, but also will further improve reliability through faster and more efficient power restoration than ever before following major storms.The new meters, along with the broader Smart Energy Network, will help us better identify the location and cause of outages when they occur and will help us better prioritize how we dispatch crews and plan restoration work – all helping to restore service even faster.

As you can see, we take the responsibility of providing our customers with safe, reliable and affordable energy service very seriously. This includes being prepared for whatever Mother Nature might bring us at any time of the year.  We encourage others, including our customers, to be prepared as well.  Please help us bring this important information into your community by sharing these steps that can be taken to prepare for summer storms.

• Assemble an emergency storm kit.
• Prepare a plan for what to do during a power outage or summer storm.
• Confirm Atlantic City Electric has your current phone number in the “My Alerts and Notifications” section of the website: atlanticcityelectric.com/MyAccount.
• Visit atlanticcityelectric.com/Mobileapp to download the mobile app, which has many resources to keep you informed during a storm.
• More tips, resources and safety information are available at atlanticcityelectric.com/Storm. 

We monitor local weather reports regularly and if severe storms are forecasted to hit, we follow the advice of local emergency management officials.  We follow a strategic response plan to restore service, addressing live wires or potentially life-threatening situations first, followed by high-voltage transmission lines and equipment, which restore service to the largest number of affected customers.  We also prioritize public health and safety facilities, like hospitals, police and fire stations and water treatment plants and work to restore service in your community safely and as quickly as possible.  To learn more about our restoration process, visit atlanticcityelectric.com/Restoration.

Customers are asked to immediately report a downed wire or service issue by calling 1-800-833-7476, visiting atlanticcityelectric.com or through our mobile app. Atlantic City Electric customers can also text“Out” to “20661”. Customers must first text “ADD OUTAGE” to “20661” to sign up for this service.

We also recognize our responsibility to serve customers by working to keep bills as low as possible and to continue to help our customers through these difficult times.  We understand many of our customers are facing economic challenges and are also dealing with the impact of inflation and rising prices for the products and services they are using each day.  We are committed to keeping every customer connected with extended payment arrangements and working to help them secure important energy assistance.  We care about our customers and have a wide range of payment options we offer based on their individual account and household income.  Many of these arrangements can be made quickly and easily by calling 800-642-3780 or by visiting our website at atlanticcictyelectric.com/EnergyAssistance.

We also continue to help our customers realize the benefits of energy efficiency, educating customers on the important tips and programs available to help them reduce their energy usage and help them save money. Many of these no-cost or low-cost tips and programs can help save customers 10-20 percent on their monthly bill.  Customers can learn more by visiting atlanticcityelectric.com/Save.

We appreciate your partnership and support in ensuring we are all prepared for the impacts of summer storms or other emergencies.  By taking a few simple steps, together we can ensure our customers and your constituents can be ready and stay safe this summer.