For more than 100 years, PECO has been one of the most prominent utility companies in the state of Pennsylvania. Today, it is hailed as not only one of the largest, but one of the oldest utilities in the United States. This company, which is a subsidiary of the Exelon Corporation, provides both electric and natural gas service to those living in the greater Philadelphia area and beyond.
The company’s service area stretches more than 2,100 square miles covering the greater Philadelphia area along with communities in the Southeast Pennsylvania area such as Pottstown, Norristown, Willow Grove and Coatesville.
As the largest utility in the state of Pennsylvania, PECO currently serves approximately 1.6 million electricity consumers and 500,000 natural gas customers.
PECO’s History and Background
PECO was originally incorporated in 1902 as the Philadelphia Electric Company. The company proudly served the area for decades, and in 1994 went under a name change becoming the PECO Corporation, until it was eventually just known as PECO. The PECO name has origins that date back to the work of Thomas Edison, showcasing the company’s deep historical roots in the city of Philadelphia.
Throughout its long and detailed history, PECO has been recognized as one of the leading organizations in its class. In 2000, the company officially merged with Unicom to create Exelon, the largest energy supplier in the United States. That year, the company also received the coveted Edison Award, recognizing PECO’s commitment to excellence in the field.
PECO and Pennsylvania?s Deregulated Market
Since January 2011, the state of Pennsylvania has been a deregulated energy market. This means while millions have kept their service with PECO, others have been given the opportunity to buy their energy from local retail suppliers. Those who have not switched suppliers or shopped for a new plan from an independent company will still have their service with PECO.
As the primary utility for its service area, PECO still provides a valuable service to all residents in their service area, no matter who they pay to supply their energy. This means when consumers have an issue with power outages or down power lines, they still need to call PECO directly. The company is still responsible for poles, wires and other energy equipment in the area.
While deregulation has changed the way PECO operates, the company still holds a great responsibility in serving those who live and own businesses in the greater Philadelphia area.
PECO’s Environmental Commitment
Their company focus also lies in their commitment to be environmental leaders. In addition to setting an example regarding the power that eco-friendly choices can have on the energy market, the company openly makes an effort to help consumers make better, smarter and more environmentally-conscious energy usage choices.
Environmental commitment has become a big concern for many utilities throughout the United States. In addition to offering plans that use more renewable resources, the company launched a program in 2008 called PECO Smart Ideas to help their consumers save money and energy. According to the utility, this effort has reduced their consumer energy usage by 1.2 billion kWh.
These features are all offered on top of PECO’s multi-year LEED certification process for its own large buildings, an effort that has delivered a savings of more than 12 percent for the company.
PECO Today
Today PECO is not only the largest utility in the state of Pennsylvania, but it is also one of the most established and recognized corporations in its field.
PECO has approximately 2,300 employees working for them in areas ranging from infrastructure maintenance to customer service and beyond. Approximately 35 percent of the company’s total services are from residential electric consumers, but they also provide natural gas services and corporate and small business energy services.
The company operates and maintains 1,067 miles of transmission lines as well as 15,260 square miles of underground distribution cables that all help bring reliable energy service to those throughout the state.
PECO takes their job as the largest utility in Pennsylvania seriously. According to the company they have spent more than $1 billion in the last year alone making capital improvements for their energy consumers. This included general maintenance, system performance analysis and improvements and projects to expand the service area capacity. The company has even been recognized as the safest utility in the state by the Department of Labor and Industry.
PECO’s Electric Service
Residential property owners, small businesses and large corporations alike in the greater Philadelphia area all rely on PECO for their energy service. While they are not the only supplier in the area, many consumers find that sticking with their original utility instead of using a retail energy provider has some benefits.
The company not only values staying competitive in the ever-changing deregulated market, but it also works to improve reliability for all consumers in its service area. Year after year the company continues to improve and set records regarding energy reliability, experiencing fewer and fewer electric outages.
They also emphasize safety with their electric service, maintaining their own emergency response team that can help safely and quickly handle outages, downed power lines and storm related issues.
PECO’s Natural Gas Service
Approximately half of a million of consumers in the Southeastern Pennsylvania area rely on PECO for their natural gas services. Those who need natural gas in their home or business properties can browse through the utilities variety of plans. The company offers different supply rates and contract lengths for their natural gas consumers and even bundle their service together with their energy plans.
Contacting PECO
Customers who want to contact PECO about existing or new service plans can get in touch with the company in a number of ways.
Customer Service Inquiries: 1-800-494-4000
The company has customer service representatives available Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Emergency Contact: 1-800-841-4141
In case of an emergency, PECO can be contacted directly 24-hours a day. This includes emergencies with gas leaks, power outages, downed electric wires and other similar high-threat situations.
Service Center Contact
You may write or contact PECO Customer Service directly at:
PECO Customer Service Center
2301 Market Street
Philadelphia, PA 19103
