Trees help protect our homes from elements, help beautify our areas, clean our air, and bring color to our lives. But trees can also be dangerous. During a storm any tree, even healthy ones, have potential to fall and cause damage to personal property and power lines. Trees near power lines can also become a direct pathway to injury. If a power line comes into contact with a tree, there is potential for someone to be seriously injured. The purpose of PIE&G’s right of way clearing program is to help us provide you with safe and continuous electrical service. Trimming or removal of tree branches by the cooperative does occur on a regular basis. These tasks are done to help us accomplish our goal, by alleviating potential safety hazards and power interruptions. In order to do this we need to keep our right of ways cleared to their maximum width. The widths of our right of ways do vary, with the maximum width being 40 feet (which is broken up into 20 feet on either side of the pole.) Also to help keep out right of way clear, we ask that you do not plant any new trees with in the power line right of way. The trees may appear small now, however, in a few years these trees will be large enough to cause problems. In many cases trimmed trees do not look as natural and/or as beautiful as we would like them to be. If possible some concessions may be made in yard areas. However, we must keep safety in mind and sometimes we have no choice but to trim them. If you are planning on removing trees that are close to our primary overhead power line, please contact our office and we will assist you. When clearing trees by your service drop (the wires from the primary line to your electrical meter at your dwelling), contact our office to temporarily disconnect and lower your drop. This service is provided free of charge and allows our members to safely remove trees.

To report an outage, call PIE&G at 1-800-423-6634 . If your lights go off during a storm, be prepared for the power outage. Assemble supplies to have on hand rather than rushing around when the storm is coming and waiting in long lines fo rmilk or bread. Rotate your supplies to keep them fresh and use the following checklist to prepare for power outages: Have Plenty of Food Keep a 3- to 5-day supply of drinking water in plastic bottles. Plan on at least 1 gallon of water per person, per day. Store a manual can opener with enough nonperishable foods for 3 to 5 days. Canned meats, tuna fish and peanut butter are good foods to store. Don’t forget pet foods! Conserve water by using paper plates and plastic utensils. Have a camp stove or grill for outdoor cooking. Stay In Touch Have a portable,battery-powered radio and alarm clock. Have one non-portable phone that will work even if power is interrupted. Plan where to meet and how to communicate with family members if separated. Keep essential family member contact information near your phone, in your wallet, and in your glove compartment. Keep Things Going Keep plenty of gas in your car. Keep extra batteries, matches, propane, charcoal and firewood. Stay Happy, Healthy and Warm Coordinate with neighbors for care of the elderly and disabled living alone. Maintain a supply of prescriptions, nonprescription drugs, vitamins and special dietary foods. Playing cards, books, drawing and writing supplies, and board games help pass the time. If you have a video camera and tapes, your family can make a storm documentary. Keep sanitary and personal hygiene supplies replenished. Premoistened cleansing towelettes are useful and help conserve water. Use plastic trash bags and ties for garbage. Put first-aid kits in your home and car. Make sure you have cold weather clothing, foul weather gear, blankets and sleeping bags. Consider purchasing alternative UL-approved heating devices. For example, a fireplace insert or woodstove will keep the heat in your home instead of up the chimney. Use flashlights and other battery-operated lighting instead of candles. Keep fire extinguishers fully charged. Fill your bathtub with water for bathroom use before the storm (if you have a well).

[fusion_builder_container hundred_percent="no" equal_height_columns="no" menu_anchor="" hide_on_mobile="small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility" class="" id="" background_color="" background_image="" background_position="center center" background_repeat="no-repeat" fade="no" background_parallax="none" parallax_speed="0.3" video_mp4="" video_webm="" video_ogv="" video_url="" video_aspect_ratio="16:9" video_loop="yes" video_mute="yes" overlay_color="" video_preview_image="" border_size="" border_color="" border_style="solid" padding_top="" padding_bottom="" padding_left="" padding_right=""][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type="1_1" layout="1_1" background_position="left top" background_color="" border_size="" border_color="" border_style="solid" border_position="all" spacing="yes" background_image="" background_repeat="no-repeat" padding_top="" padding_right="" padding_bottom="" padding_left="" margin_top="0px" margin_bottom="0px" class="" id="" animation_type="" animation_speed="0.3" animation_direction="left" hide_on_mobile="small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility" center_content="no" last="no" min_height="" hover_type="none" link=""][fusion_text columns="" column_min_width="" column_spacing="" rule_style="default" rule_size="" rule_color="" hide_on_mobile="small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility" class="" id="" animation_type="" animation_direction="left" animation_speed="0.3" animation_offset=""] Accidentally contacting a power line can be dangerous and in some cases, even deadly. Your electric cooperative wants to help our members stay safe around power lines. Keep a safe distance Whether you are playing outdoors with your children or working on landscaping projects, keep a safe distance from power lines and other equipment your co-op uses to get electricity to your home. Always remember to: Stay away from power lines, meters, transformers and electrical boxes. Don’t climb trees near power lines. Never fly kits, remote control airplanes or balloons near power lines. If you get something stuck in a power line, call your electric co-op to get it. Keep a safe distance from overhead power lines when working with ladders or installing objects such as antennas. Never touch or go near a downed power line. Don’t touch anything that may be touching a downed wire, such as a car. Keep children and pets away. Power Line Hazards and Cars If a power line falls on a car, you should stay inside the vehicle. This is the safest place to stay. Warn people not to touch the car or the line. Call or ask someone to call the local cooperative and emergency services. The only circumstance in which you should consider leaving a car that is in contact with a downed power line is if the vehicle catches on fire. Open the door. Do not step out of the car. You may receive a shock. Instead, jump free of the car so that your body clears the vehicle before touching the ground. Once you clear the car, shuffle at least 50 feet away, with both feet on the ground. As in all power line related emergencies, call for help immediately by dialing 911 or call your electric utility company’s Service Center/Dispatch Office. Do not try to help someone else from the car while you are standing on the ground. [/fusion_text][/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container][fusion_builder_container hundred_percent="no" hundred_percent_height="no" hundred_percent_height_scroll="no" hundred_percent_height_center_content="yes" equal_height_columns="no" menu_anchor="" hide_on_mobile="small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility" status="published" publish_date="" class="" id="" border_size="" border_color="" border_style="solid" margin_top="" margin_bottom="" padding_top="" padding_right="" padding_bottom="" padding_left="" gradient_start_color="" gradient_end_color="" gradient_start_position="0" gradient_end_position="100" gradient_type="linear" radial_direction="center" linear_angle="180" background_color="" background_image="" background_position="center center" background_repeat="no-repeat" fade="no" background_parallax="none" enable_mobile="no" parallax_speed="0.3" background_blend_mode="none" video_mp4="" video_webm="" video_ogv="" video_url="" video_aspect_ratio="16:9" video_loop="yes" video_mute="yes" video_preview_image="" filter_hue="0" filter_saturation="100" filter_brightness="100" filter_contrast="100" filter_invert="0" filter_sepia="0" filter_opacity="100" filter_blur="0" filter_hue_hover="0" filter_saturation_hover="100" filter_brightness_hover="100" filter_contrast_hover="100" filter_invert_hover="0" filter_sepia_hover="0" filter_opacity_hover="100" filter_blur_hover="0"][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type="1_1" layout="1_1" spacing="" center_content="no" link="" target="_self" min_height="" hide_on_mobile="small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility" class="" id="" background_image_id="" hover_type="none" border_size="5" border_color="#ed1c24" border_style="solid" border_position="left" border_radius_top_left="" border_radius_top_right="" border_radius_bottom_right="" border_radius_bottom_left="" box_shadow="no" box_shadow_vertical="" box_shadow_horizontal="" box_shadow_blur="0" box_shadow_spread="0" box_shadow_color="" box_shadow_style="" padding_top="20px" padding_right="20px" padding_bottom="20px" padding_left="20px" margin_top="" margin_bottom="" background_type="single" gradient_start_color="" gradient_end_color="" gradient_start_position="0" gradient_end_position="100" gradient_type="linear" radial_direction="center" linear_angle="180" background_color="#dadada" background_image="" background_position="left top" background_repeat="no-repeat" background_blend_mode="none" animation_type="" animation_direction="left" animation_speed="0.3" animation_offset="" filter_type="regular" filter_hue="0" filter_saturation="100" filter_brightness="100" filter_contrast="100" filter_invert="0" filter_sepia="0" filter_opacity="100" filter_blur="0" filter_hue_hover="0" filter_saturation_hover="100" filter_brightness_hover="100" filter_contrast_hover="100" filter_invert_hover="0" filter_sepia_hover="0" filter_opacity_hover="100" filter_blur_hover="0" last="no"][fusion_text columns="" column_min_width="" column_spacing="" rule_style="default" rule_size="" rule_color="" hide_on_mobile="small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility" class="" id="" animation_type="" animation_direction="left" animation_speed="0.3" animation_offset=""] DOWNED POWER LINES NEVER touch a fallen power line, or anything or anyone in contact with it. If someone is in a car that is touching fallen lines, do not touch them or the car – you could be shocked. Instead, call the power company. If a power line hits your vehicle, stay inside, warn others to stay away, and wait for rescue personnel. If you must get out, jump clear without touching the vehicle and the ground at the same time, and shuffle away. Remember: Stay way from all downed wires – even if there are no sparks. Do not touch anything that is touching a down line. Get help right way! [/fusion_text][/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]

Shut off your main circuit breaker(s) and look at your meter. It should be stopped and everything in your home should be off and unable to be turned on. If the meter is still moving, something is wired into your meter base in addition to your main service panel and you should find out what it is. An example of this may be an outbuilding that is serviced off the meter, but doesn’t go through your main circuit breaker. Any wire that runs to such a building is your responsibility and may have a fault in it. Turn your main circuit breaker back on. Starting in the kitchen and with a pad of paper and pencil in hand, shut off or unplug everything in the home, noting down each appliance that you shut off so that you remember to turn it on again later. While you are writing down the appliances you are turning off, also note the wattage of the appliance and the approximate number of hours it is on each day. Use this information to complete the worksheet from Presque Isle Electric & Gas Co-op. When you are finished the meter should be stopped. If not, you forgot something or there is something you don’t know about. Turn the appliances back on one at a time. After you turn on each appliance, go to the meter and see how quickly the wheel on the meter is turning. If one appliance makes the wheel turn faster then others, you should look specifically at that appliance for faults or malfunctions.

FAQs Archive - Page 4 of 6 - Presque Isle Electric & Gas Co-Op

Q: All those things checked out, now what do I do?

When it comes to usage, any appliances that make heat from electricity should be the first change to consider. Many electric hot water heaters will consume 350-500 kWh per month, often far more where there are large families, leaking taps or hot water laundry usage. It is also important to make sure that your hot water heater is working properly. If you own your own electric water heater, call an electrician. Another common source of high bills are electric space heaters placed in rooms that are rarely used. The space heaters can unknowingly be left on, leading to high usage. Also, the thermostat switches on these heaters can be unreliable and the heater may actually be on when the switch is in the “off” position. To ensure that heaters are off, it is a good idea to unplug space heaters or turn the breaker off at the main breaker panel. Old refrigerators are also notorious for high electricity usage. If you have an old one in the garage or basement and can live without it, you will likely save a lot of kWh usage by disposing of it. If you can afford to replace an old one that is needed with a newer more efficient model, this will pay off in the long run with lower electric bills.

Q: Can I enter a meter reading on the Web or in the App?

Yes. On the Web , you will you may do this in SmartHub . On the App , you will select the Bill, Pay & Reading icon. If you have multiple accounts, you will be able to select the correct account and service address.

Q: Can a member view their business account and home account under the same SmartHub session?

Yes. There is a way to tie these separate memberships to the same SmartHub session. After registering one of them in SmartHub, you then can register the other as a new user with the same email and password. You will then be able to view both accounts in either SmartHub Web or SmartHub Mobile.

Q: How current is the account information I see on the Web or in the App?

The information you see on the Web and in the App is as current as the data we have on our systems. However, if you keep your App or the Web version open for an extended period of time, you should refresh the page by selecting a new option in order to ensure the information is still current.

I have done everything you recommended and I still can’t figure out what is going on or I have figured out what is going on but still want to lower my electric bill. What can I do now?

Low-income consumers can contact their local Family Independence Agency and [...]

Taed Price2019-12-06T12:01:42-05:00January 25, 2019|