Latest news with #WestPennPower
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Climate
- Yahoo
Over 1,000 customers without power as severe weather hits Southwestern Pennsylvania on Sunday
Over 1,000 people are without power as severe weather has hit the Southwestern Pennsylvania area. PHOTOS: Severe storms, heavy rain hit local communities on Sunday West Penn Power reports 1,313 power outages in Pennsylvania. Of those, local counties report: Allegheny County - 10 power outages Butler County - 388 power outages Fayette County - 358 power outages Indiana County - 40 power outages Washington County - 141 power outages Westmoreland County - 107 power outages Click here to report a power outage to West Penn Power. Duquesne Light Company reports 177 power outages in Allegheny County and only one in Beaver County. Click here to report a power outage to Duquesne Light Company. Download the FREE WPXI News app for breaking news alerts. Follow Channel 11 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch WPXI NOW
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Climate
- Yahoo
Over 1,000 people without power after severe storms on Friday
Over 1,000 people are without power after severe storms and heavy rain rolled through the southwestern Pennsylvania area. As of 10:30 p.m., Duquesne Light Company reported 1,284 total power outages. All outages were in Allegheny County. Click here to report a power outage to Duquesne Light Company. West Penn Power reported 905 power outages in Pennsylvania. Of those, 36 were in Allegheny County, 31 were in Butler County, 25 were in Fayette County, 104 were in Lawrence County and 409 were in Westmoreland County. Click here to report a power outage to West Penn Power. Download the FREE WPXI News app for breaking news alerts. Follow Channel 11 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch WPXI NOW
CBS News
22-05-2025
- Climate
- CBS News
Pa. lawmaker, power companies hold hearing following severe weather, prolonged outages
Three weeks after a powerful windstorm caused extensive and prolonged power outages, a state lawmaker held a public hearing to determine how everyone can be more prepared for future storms. Storms never last, and we can learn from them after they pass. The destructive windstorm that swept through the Pittsburgh region on April 29 knocked out power for hundreds of thousands of people, causing confusion and frustration. "A lot of the people that we heard from just wanted to know when the heck the power was going to come back on. It was hard, I know, to be without power for so long. My own family was right there with you without power for seven days," said Rep. Mandy Steele (D), 33rd District. Rep. Steele called for a policy hearing: "After the Storm: Preparing for the Future." At the Lauri Ann West Community Center in Fox Chapel Wednesday night, community members and lawmakers heard directly from Duquesne Light and West Penn Power representatives. They explained what challenges they faced while restoring power. "Downed lines, poles, and other damage to the grid can present very diverse and potentially dangerous situations. That's what our crews had to face in this storm," said Abe Amawi, manager of operations at West Penn Power. "Many of our customers said they experienced difficulties getting through to us, we had some difficulty with the amount of calls coming in at one time. It created some technology challenges for us, and I'm happy to report that we've already made some technology advancements to be able to support and not have that bottleneck in the future," said Kristy Stone, Vice President and Chief Customer Officer at Duquesne Light. The power company representatives said they are listening to concerns, learning lessons, and figuring out what can be done differently when another big storm hits. "Going forward, we plan to complete a comprehensive review of our current customer notifications. That's email, that's texts, that's calling. Then we'll modify them as needed to ensure those messages are very clear and consistent so you don't have the frustrations and you're able to plan as best you can for any outages," Stone said. "We also intend to focus on providing more localized times. Now, the severity and complexity of this storm created a difficulty to be able to have localized ETRs," Stone added. "We continue to refine our process to communicate estimated time of restoration to our customers and other stakeholders to get their critical information into the hands as quickly and as practically so they can make decisions that fit their unique circumstances," Amawi said.
Yahoo
17-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Our church is proof: Federal incentives for solar work
The old spiritual 'This Little Light of Mine' has meaning for anyone who cares to listen, no matter their faith background. It's a call to action, challenging every hearer to be a light in the world and to persist in well-doing. As it turns out, one way that we can let our light shine is by turning the lights off. Dad jokes notwithstanding, climate change is getting worse, and as it worsens, we have an increasing responsibility to lessen our contribution to the problem. This doesn't mean sitting in the dark. Being responsible doesn't mean being impractical. It means using our common sense to be smarter about our energy use. That can be as simple as turning out the lights when we leave the room, or better yet, installing a light system that shuts off the lights automatically when we're gone. At University Mennonite Church, where I serve as treasurer, we're doing what we can to be more energy efficient. These efforts started years ago with a few modest projects, upgrading our church building to use less energy. These upgrades, which included new insulation and energy-efficient LED lighting, were successful, and this success encouraged us to do more. So, in 2023, we decided to go solar. Cobbling together some church funds, a grant from West Penn Power, additional support from the Mennonite Creation Care Network, and roughly $10,000 through federal incentives, we were able to purchase and install a 27.75 kW solar array atop the church roof. The solar array provides about half of our energy needs. The year before we went solar, we spent roughly $5,600 — almost $500 a month — on power. The year afterward, we spent just $2,500, or barely $200 a month. When we crunched the numbers — a pastime of mine — we found that the system will pay for itself in just eight years. So, in addition to letting us put our values in action, allowing us to cut our energy use and reduce our contribution to climate change, our solar array is also saving the church money. In practical terms, this means more resources will be available to carry out our mission. It's a win in every possible respect. Yet even as more churches are looking to add solar power as we did, Congress is looking to cut the federal investments that make solar energy affordable and accessible. The threat is twofold. Current law provides tax credits that lower the cost of solar panels by 30 percent. These tax credits have been available for years, but recent changes to the law gave nonprofits, including churches and schools, the ability to benefit from these credits. This is called Direct Pay. It lets nonprofits benefit from solar tax credits by giving them direct cash payments. Whatever tax credits they would have received if they were a business, they get exactly that amount in a direct cash payment, leveling the playing field. Our church wasn't able to benefit from Direct Pay; we installed our solar panels before it launched. But thankfully, the private contractor who installed our solar array shared the tax-credit savings with the church. But all these savings will disappear if Congress repeals them. The 30 percent tax credit and the Direct Pay program could be eliminated. The cost of energy would rise for everyone. The responsible choice of switching to clean energy would become less practical and more painful. Everyone from churches to businesses to families would find it harder to be part of the solution to one of the biggest problems of our time. It's understandable that Congress should want to see public resources used more efficiently. More efficiency means greater impact, and that's a laudable goal. But cutting federal investments in clean energy won't make the government more efficient. It won't give taxpayers a better bang for their buck. It will, however, make life more expensive for Americans. James Rosenberger is a 49-year resident of State College and member of University Mennonite Church. He taught statistics at Penn State for 42 years, and served on the State College Borough Council for eight years.
Yahoo
01-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Thousands of Personnel Engaged in FirstEnergy's Power Restoration Effort in Pennsylvania and West Virginia
Crews continue working 24/7 to restore service to 150,000 customers following intense storm GREENSBURG, Pa., May 1, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Power has been restored to more than 275,000 of the 380,000 FirstEnergy Corp. (NYSE: FE) customers impacted by the April 29 storm that produced significant, widespread damage due to heavy rain and excessive winds in many parts of the service area. More than 4,750 internal and external resources are working 24/7 to restore power to customers who remain without service in the hardest hit areas of Pennsylvania and West Virginia. John Hawkins, President, FirstEnergy Pennsylvania: "The recent storm in the greater Pittsburgh area is our second worst on record since 2009 in western Pennsylvania, ranking among the top storms in the company's history in terms of impact. The widespread area of straight-line winds – such as the 110-120 mph wind speeds reported in Cambria County by the National Weather Service – caused hundreds of instances of broken poles, downed wires and equipment damage across our western and central Pennsylvania footprint. As we continue our efforts to restore power to every last customer, we urge everyone to prioritize safety. We deeply appreciate your continued patience and support of our field personnel." Company personnel are also preparing to respond to service interruptions caused by another severe weather system that is expected to bring strong wind gusts and potential thunderstorms this afternoon to portions of Ohio, Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Maryland. The system is expected to bring wind gusts of 40 to 50 miles per hour – and potentially higher in some areas with an additional risk of scattered thunderstorms. The high winds could slow restoration efforts, as crews cannot safely operate bucket trucks when wind speeds exceed 40 miles per hour. Current outage updates as of 11 a.m. today include: West Penn Power: Approximately 197,000 FirstEnergy Pennsylvania customers in the West Penn Power service area lost power from the storm, and 78,500 remain without power. Penelec: Approximately 107,400 FirstEnergy Pennsylvania customers in the Penelec service area lost power from the storm, and 13,600 remain without power. Penn Power: Approximately 13,600 FirstEnergy Pennsylvania customers in the Penn Power service area lost power from the storm, and 2,300 remain without power. Mon Power: Approximately 36,300 Mon Power customers lost power from the storm, and 5,300 remain without power. Power will be restored to most customers by 11 p.m. this evening. Established while crews are restoring power and assessing the full extent of damages, the initial "global estimated time of restoration" (ETR) represents an estimate of when service will be restored to the majority of customers following major outage events. Many customers will have their power restored before that time. Work to restore power continues around the clock, and many customers will have service restored sooner, based on the level of damage in their area. Listed below are the ETRs by county for customers served by Penelec, Penn Power and West Penn Power. If your county is not listed, please log into your account at or text STAT to 544487 if you are registered for text alerts to get your specific outage ETR. Allegheny County – Sunday, May 4, by 11 p.m. Armstrong County – Monday, May 5, by 3 p.m. Blair County – Saturday, May 3, by 11 p.m. Butler County – Customers served by Penn Power are expected to have power restored by Saturday, May 3, by 11 p.m. Customers served by West Penn Power are expected to have power restored by Sunday, May 4, by 11 p.m. Centre County – Sunday, May 4, by 11 p.m. Clearfield County – Many customers in the county are expected to have power restored by Saturday, May 3, by 11 p.m.; customers in the hardest hit areas of the county expected to have power restored by Sunday, May 4, by 11 p.m. Greene County – Saturday, May 3, by 11 p.m. Indiana County - Saturday, May 3, by 11 p.m. Mifflin County – Friday, May 2, by 11 p.m. Washington County - Many customers in the county are expected to have power restored by Saturday, May 3, by 11 p.m.; customers in the hardest hit areas of the county expected to have power restored by Sunday, May 4, by 11 p.m. Westmoreland County - Many customers in the county are expected to have power restored by Saturday, May 3, by 11 p.m.; customers in the hardest hit areas of the county expected to have power restored by Monday, May 5, by 3 p.m. As additional information about necessary repairs is understood, more detailed ETRs will be provided. Customers can view their current individual ETR for their particular outage by logging into their account at texting STAT to 54487, or viewing the outage map at If they have not done so already, customers who are without power can call 1-888-LIGHTSS (1-888-544-4877) or text OUT to 544487 to report their outage or click the "Outages" link on Free water and ice is available to Pennsylvania customers who remain without power. Customers can visit a participating Giant or Giant Eagle store to receive two 1-gallon bottles of water or one 24-pack of bottled water and two 7-9 pound bags of ice or one 20-25-pound of ice. Please let the store know that you are a FirstEnergy customer without power at checkout. A list of participating stores is available online FirstEnergy's Restoration Process: FirstEnergy follows a formal restoration process after severe weather, focusing on repairs that will address the largest number of customers before moving on to more isolated issues. The restoration effort typically begins with transmission and substation facilities and then prioritizes critical facilities like hospitals, communications and emergency response agencies. Additionally, hundreds of isolated issues affect individual or small numbers of customers. These are the most time-consuming repairs because they require our crews to go to each individual location to make the repairs. Many of the isolated issues include repairs to "service drops," which are wires attached to each home to deliver electricity from the neighborhood power line. These wires are often damaged by fallen trees and large branches. For updated information on the company's current outages, storm restoration process and tips for staying safe, visit FirstEnergy's 24/7 Power Center at To learn more about navigating the recently updated map, please visit Generator Safety Reminder: To ensure the safety of the home's occupants as well as that of electric company employees who may be working on power lines in the area, the proper generator should be selected and installed by a qualified electrician. When operating a generator, the power coming into the home should always be disconnected. Otherwise, power from the generator could be sent back onto the power lines, creating a hazardous situation for company workers. Locate the generator outside of your home and far away from windows, doors and vents. Never locate a generator inside your home. View additional generator safety information. FirstEnergy is dedicated to integrity, safety, reliability and operational excellence. Its electric distribution companies form one of the nation's largest investor-owned electric systems, serving customers in Ohio, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, West Virginia, Maryland and New York. The company's transmission subsidiaries operate approximately 24,000 miles of transmission lines that connect the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic regions. Visit FirstEnergy online at and follow FirstEnergy and its operating companies on X, formerly known as Twitter, @FirstEnergyCorp, @IlluminatingCo, @OhioEdison,. View original content to download multimedia: SOURCE FirstEnergy Corp. Sign in to access your portfolio
