Getting ready for winter weather

As the temperatures begin to drop, ComEd has taken steps to ensure the electric grid – and customers – are ready for whatever the season brings. We have prepared for high winds, ice and snow, including conducting inspections and preventive maintenance for thousands of miles of power lines and more than 850 substations. Over the last 10 years, ComEd has invested more than $9 billion in the electrical grid in Illinois to improve reliability for customers.

ComEd also offers the following tips to help you safely prepare your home for winter weather, manage your energy usage and reduce electricity costs.

•  Inspect the caulking and weather-stripping around all windows, doors and openings for utility services, replacing as necessary. Making these improvements could result in savings of up to 20 percent on annual heating bills.
• When at home in the winter, keep your thermostat at 68 degrees or less. When leaving home for more than four hours in the winter, turn your thermostat down 5 to 10 degrees.
• During cold weather, take advantage of the sun’s warmth by keeping drapes open during daylight hours.  
• Reverse the rotation of ceiling fan blades, which should spin clockwise at low speed during the winter months, so the warm air that has risen can be re-distributed around the room.
• Replace incandescent holiday lights with LEDs.  They’re durable, cooler to the touch and use 65 percent less energy than conventional incandescent light strands.
• Visit ComEd.com and select “Use My Energy Tools” beneath the “My Usage” tab.  You can evaluate past energy usage and learn about more ways to keep your home energy efficient.