(WJAC) — As more winter storm systems move through our area, more people are turning up the heat in their homes.
But what happens when it gets turned off on some of the coldest days of the year?
Energy providers like Penelec are still holding planned power outages during these winter months, leaving people in the cold.
6 News asked Todd Meyers, a spokesperson for Penelec, why they're still holding them.
"The types of work that we may do -- when the temperatures are quite cold -- is going to be something that is urgently needed," Meyers responded.
Urgently needed...to the point of creating a public safety hazard if the problems aren't taken care of right away, he said.
Sometimes, Meyers told 6 News, planned outages can be cancelled due to inclement weather, but it all depends on if the problem can wait or not.
"Is it a hazard? Or is it something that -- if it fails -- is going to cause lots of customers to go for a longer period of time than if we could just get this done in a controlled fashion," he said.
He said hundreds or even thousands of planned outages can happen in a year to modernize equipment, upgrade power lines, and replace transformers.
Penelec lets affected customers know there will be an outage beforehand through robocalls, and the outage usually only lasts for a few hours.
"We let customers know several times ahead of time. That way, they can make arrangements: 'hey, if it's really cold, I can go here or I can go there,'" he said.
Meyers said if you're a customer not getting these calls, check to make sure your contact information with Penelec is updated, or sign up for email and text alerts (click here to do that).
"The phone call is only as good as the contact information we have on hand," he said.
The Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission (PUC) also released some winter safety tips Thursday.
They say to report outages, call your utility hotline.
Also, they say to stay away from trees or limbs on power lines, as well as any objects or water around them.
Per Penelec: You can update your account information by calling Penelec at 800-545-7741.
Their 24/7 Power Center outage map, available here, displays individual outage locations with best-available estimated restoration times, the possible cause of the service disruption and crew status."
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