ComEd Temporarily Stops Service Suspensions for Residential Customers in Light of Heat Advisory

CHICAGO, Aug. 12 /PRNewswire/ -- In light of the heat advisory issued by the National Weather Service, and the City of Chicago's declaration of a heat emergency, ComEd will temporarily halt service suspensions for residential customers through the rest of the week. The company will resume service suspensions on Monday, Aug. 16.

"This is the 17th day this summer where temperatures have reached 90 degrees or more. Due to the extreme combination of hot weather and humid conditions forecasted for Chicago over the next two days, we made a decision to stop residential service suspensions," said Frank M. Clark, chairman and CEO, ComEd.

Recognizing that excessive hot weather conditions are expected to continue through the weekend, ComEd has also taken proactive measures to respond to the heat, Clark said.

"We have increased staffing levels to quickly respond in the event of power outages," Clark said, adding that "our electrical system is currently performing well and our crews will continue to monitor conditions around the clock."

As always, ComEd will remain in contact with public officials throughout its service territory to address any issues that may arise. Customers who are experiencing an outage or have any questions about their ComEd service can visit www.ComEd.com or call 1-800-EDISON-1 (1-800-334-7661). Spanish-speaking customers can call 1-800-95-LUCES (1-800 955-8237).

This is one of the hottest summers that northern Illinois has experienced in decades. According to the Chicago Weather Center, 2010 is Chicago's 15th-warmest summer of the past 140 years. The average high temperature in July 2010 was approximately 86.6 degrees and ComEd estimates residential customers used 55 to 65 percent more energy to cool their homes compared to last July, one of the coolest summers on record.

In view of the impact of the excessive heat conditions, ComEd offers the following tips to help customers keep cool while reducing electricity usage:

• Keep thermostats at a constant, comfortable level (75 to 78 degrees) when at home. Lowering the thermostat setting below the desired temperature will not cool the home faster.
• To reduce heat and moisture during the warmest part of the day, run appliances such as ovens, washing machines, dryers and dishwashers in the early morning or evening hours when it's generally cooler outside. Also, use a microwave to cook, or barbecue outside, 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 gain to your home. Awnings are even better, and can reduce heat gain by up to 75 percent. Window coatings and window film can reflect as much as 80 percent of direct rays from the sun.
• Keep doors to the outside, garage or attic firmly closed to keep cool air in and hot air out.
• Use fans to evenly distribute cool air and reduce the air conditioner's "on" time.
• Place window air conditioners on the north or shady side of the house to avoid overworking the unit in the hot daytime sun.

Customers can further reduce their energy consumption year round and lower their bills by applying other energy saving ideas from ComEd's Smart Ideas(sm) for Your Home, a portfolio of easy to apply energy-efficient approaches. Visit www.ComEd.com/SmartIdeas.

Commonwealth Edison Company (ComEd) is a unit of Chicago-based Exelon Corporation (NYSE: EXC), one of the nation's largest electric utilities with approximately 5.4 million customers. ComEd provides service to approximately 3.8 million customers across northern Illinois, or 70 percent of the state's population.

SOURCE ComEd

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