Pike County Light and Power lights up the heart of Pennsylvania

Pike County Light and Power serves thousands of Pennsylvania-based customers in places like Milford Borough, Milford Township, Westfall Township, Matamoras Borough, Millrift, Pond Eddy and Dingman Township, providing their gas and electric needs. And soon, they hope to source their power from Pennsylvania as well — while continuing to boost customer transparency, affordability and sustainability.

A Glance Into Affordability

With a customer satisfaction rate of 95%, it is no doubt that PCLP puts the patrons first. And for cost-efficient customers, they have a multitude of assistance services to create avenues for additional support where needed. Some of these programs include the Good Neighbor Fund, the Homeowner’s Energy Efficiency Loan Program, the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program, Medical Emergency Shut Off Avoidance, the United States Department of Agriculture Loans and Grants and Weatherization programs.

They also work with individuals to connect them to assistance programs offered by Catholic Charities and Family Promise.

A Glance Into Transparency

Ultimately, customers want not just a company that will light and power up their home, but a welcoming place that they feel they can trust. PCLP offers just that, with several customers opting to come in person to pay their gas and electric bills.

“They know all of us and we know them, so we will sometimes spend a good 20 minutes just going back and forth having one-on-one personal conversations with them,” Nancy Karlovich, PCLP’s general manager, said. “So it’s actually very nice.”

But whether you go in person to pay your bill or not, PCLP ensures that lines of communication are never severed, especially in the event of a safety concern or power outage. Specifically, if a homeowner wants to add a garden or put up outdoor decorations, they need to ensure that they will not strike a gas line when digging any holes. PCLP advertises a phone number customers can call, 811, before doing any digging, helping them to avoid injury or damage.

A Glance Into Sustainability

Chuck Lenns, vice president and chief financial officer of PCLP, said the company is working on its leak-prone pipe replacement program. PCLP’s old steel and iron gas mains are over 100 years old and over time, are prone to leaks. The replacement program will remove the aging infrastructure and replace it with plastic mains and service lines. This is a significant capital project that will take several years to complete and will improve safety and reliability.

This, Lenns said, would help increase energy efficiency and effectively reduce PCLP’s carbon footprint.

A Glance Into The Future

PCLP is exploring alternative sources for both electric power and gas supply in Pennsylvania since the company currently obtains energy exclusively from Orange and Rockland. Having multiple energy sources would improve reliability and allow PCLP to competitively bid for its gas and electric commodities.

“That’s one of the biggest goals that we have, to source power in Pennsylvania as well as in New York [via a dual feed],” Lenns said. “This plan requires a considerable investment in infrastructure, but we believe it is an investment that will reduce customer costs over time and enhance system reliability.”