Con Edison Crews Working to Finish Restoration

Con Edison crews are closing in on the end of the restoration of customers affected by Storm Isaias, continuing to focus on all areas with remaining outages, including hard-hit Westchester County.

Con Edison cautions everyone to stay away from downed wires. Do not assume they are de-energized. They may be live.

The company will meet its goal of restoring service by tonight to the vast majority of Westchester customers affected by the storm and then continue to restore remaining scattered outages in the county and New York City. Con Edison placed 3,800 restoration workers on the job today.

The company reports that about 12,200 customers remain without service due to the storm. They include about 9,700 in Westchester and 1,800 in Queens.

Work continues to restore the final customers in hard-hit communities in Queens such as Richmond Hill, Forest Hills, and Jamaica and New Rochelle, New Castle, Yonkers and Cortlandt in Westchester.

Con Edison has expanded its claims policy so that customers without power for 48 hours due to the storm can fill out a claims form to request reimbursement for the cost of spoiled food, medication, or perishable commercial merchandise.

Meanwhile, with temperatures climbing into the 90s this week, Con Edison has crews ready to respond to any heat-related outages. Heat and humidity increase demand on the electric-delivery system and can cause equipment to overheat as customers use their air conditioners.

Con Edison offers energy-saving tips, including:

• Make sure air conditioner filters are clean so the units will run at peak efficiency;
• Set thermostats to the highest comfortable temperature. Each degree lower increases cooling costs;
• If you have a room air-conditioning unit, close off the rooms not being used; if you have central air, block the vents in unused or vacant rooms;
• To reduce heat and moisture in your home, run appliances such as ovens, washing machines, dryers and dishwashers in the early morning or late at night when it’s generally cooler outside. Use a microwave to cook, if possible;
• Keep shades, blinds and curtains closed. About 40 percent of unwanted heat comes through windows. Simply drawing blinds and curtains, which act as a layer of insulation, can reduce heat in your apartment or home;
• Turn off air conditioners, lights and other appliances when not at home.

Customers can get information on NYC cooling centers.

Customers are urged to report an outage and check restoration status at conEd.com/reportoutage, or with Con Edison’s mobile app for iOS or Android devices, or by calling 1-800-75-CONED (1-800-752-6633).

Customers can sign up for text alerts at conEd.com/text. The messages remind customers to be prepared and to report an outage by simply replying OUT to the text.

Customers who report outages will receive updates from Con Edison with their estimated restoration times as they become available. Information on outages and restoration times is also available at the Con Edison outage map.

Con Edison personnel practice social distancing to keep everyone safe from the coronavirus. Con Edison is following the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines.

The company is in close contact with New York City Emergency Management and the Westchester County Department of Emergency Services to coordinate response as needed.

Customers can follow Con Edison on Twitter or like us on Facebook for general outage updates, safety tips and storm preparation information.