ComEd rolls out reliability projects, tips and financial assistance to manage winter weather

With climate change bringing more frequently severe and devastating weather to Illinois and abroad, ComEd is touting the need for and effects of investments in smarter grids, winter energy-saving tips, and financial assistance for low-income customers.

ComEd began smart grid investments in 2012, and thanks in large part to these, the company stated that it has avoided more than 16 million customer outages. The economic results have also been felt: those avoidances saved customers $2.7 billion. This year, ComEd installed the country’s first permanent high-temperature superconductor wire to further enhance the reliability, resiliency, and performance of its grid, thanks to the redundancy it provides between substations. Even if one substation is knocked offline, it allows energy to still flow.

“Winter brings unique challenges to the grid and our customers,” Terry Donnelly, ComEd president and COO, said. “Extreme cold and ice can be damaging and cause interruptions. As we do every year, we are completing projects to improve grid resiliency during the winter months and finding innovative ways to ensure that our customers have energy when they need it.”

Yet, some things are beyond mechanical means. COVID-19, for example, has impacted the economic capabilities of many — a fact has prompted ComEd to offer various programs such as flexible payment options, financial assistance for past-due balances, and usage alerts for current bills.

Winter tips from the company have also included lowering manual or programmable thermostats between 7-10 degrees when leaving home in the winter for an extended period to save up to 10 percent on heating costs. Others included changing filters every three months, replacing old lights with LEDs, gaining rebates on qualifying appliances, and pursuing free home energy assessments.