What ComEd Improvements Have Been Made in Your Neighborhood This Year?

Here, a list of infrastructure upgrades the electrical company has made in Glenview so far in 2012 as part of the recently-enacted Energy Infrastructure Modernization Act.

Wondering what ComEd has been up to around town?  Stay tuned to the latest local news: Like us on Facebook! ComEd recently provided the Village with a list of infrastructure improvements made in 2012 to benefit Glenview, part of its ongoing investment in the electric system and a result of the recently-enacted Energy Infrastructure Modernization Act. ComEd reported that more than 2,100 feet of underground residential distribution cable had been treated or replaced so far this year, and some 40,000 additional feet was planned for replacement by the end of the year. Underground residential development (URD) cable is either injected to fill in voids in the insulation or replaced where necessary to reduce the number of customer service …

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Lights Out! Energy Saving Tips to Battle Heat

Current temperatures are cooking the Chicagoland area. Many residents have their AC units cranked on high as a result. That being said, power outages are more likely to occur. Here are some energy saving tips for Thursday.

With temperatures expected to reach 100 degrees or more this week, many area residents will have their AC units cranked up on "chill" to fend off the heat. Yet as an entire neighborhood tries to cool off, a power outage may occur as a result, according to ComEd. Here are some energy saving tips for Thursday: Those in the market for a new air conditioner should look for ENERGY STAR®-qualified air conditioning units, which will be at least 10 percent more efficient than conventional models. It’s a buying decision that can translate into savings of up to $95 per year and also reduce the amount of greenhouse gas emissions, ComEd said in a press release. The electric company also noted that the electric system is performing well. However, the …

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Glenview Residents to Vote on Electrical Referendum

A question regarding the electrical referendum will appear on the Nov. 6 ballot for Glenview voters.

Glenview could be on its way to lower electrical rates. The Village Board of Trustees voted Tuesday to put an electrical aggregation referendum on the Nov. 6 ballot, according to a press release. The referendum, if approved, would allow the village to "to seek competitive pricing from electricity suppliers by combining the electricity supply needs of residents and small retailers as a pool." More: What is electrical aggregation, what would it mean for Glenview? “If we control the bids through an aggregation process we think we can get savings,” Deputy Village Manager Don Owen told Patch earlier this month. “However, as time goes on, that savings is likely to reduce.” Communities that have aggregated their electricity have experienced 18 to…

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Try Your Luck at Trivia, Win ComEd Sweepstakes

Prizes for the 'Coolest Summer Ever' contest include tickets to Chicago sporting events, museums and theaters, unique animal encounters and a $5,000 donation to your favorite charity.

If you've got a knack for trivia, try your hand at Commonwealth Edison's (ComEd) 'Coolest Summer Ever' sweepstakes and enter to win a number of prizes to make your summer a little more interesting.  During the 10-week contest that began Monday, participants can visit ComEd on Facebook and answer questions about Chicago and suburban destinations, energy conservation tips and other assorted trivia, according to a ComEd press release.  A different prize will be awarded each of the ten weeks.   They include a five-show theater package, White Sox scout seats and a chance to throw out the first pitch at a Cub's game. A private tour of the Adler Planetarium's Doane Observatory and a limo ride to Rockford to see the symphony are among the …

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Glenview’s Board Agrees to Pursue Electrical Aggregation

The village could partner with Wilmette and Kenilworth to reduce costs.

After hearing presentations about the costs and benefits of electricity aggregation, the Glenview Board of Trustees unanimously voiced their support for moving forward with the process at Tuesday’s workshop. Formal approval will be discussed at a later meeting. Deputy Village Manager Don Owen explained the process, which allows communities to pool their residential and small business electrical needs to seek bids for power. If voters approved an electricity aggregation referendum on the Nov. 6 ballot, all residents would automatically be added to the pool unless they chose to opt out. Don't miss a thing: Sign up for our free newsletter! “If we control the bids through an aggregation process we think we can get savings,” Owen said. “However…

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Glenview to Consider Electrical Aggregation

Tuesday’s workshop will provide a briefing on possible savings.

The Glenview Village Board will consider adding an electricity aggregation referendum to November’s ballot at a workshop at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday at Village Hall. The meeting will include a briefing on how much local communities who aggregated have saved, what the impact would be on a typical Glenview electric bill and the cost of implementing the program. In 2010, the Illinois legislature gave municipalities the ability to negotiate for lower electricity rates for residents and small retailers. With voter approval, Glenview would be able to combine the village’s electricity needs to qualify for volume pricing. Power would still be delivered to village properties by ComEd. Check in with Glenview Patch on Thursday for full coverage of the …

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UPDATE: 1,200 Glenview Families Lose Power Sunday, Majority Now Restored

Crews are working to restore power to the remaining 10 percent of families still without electricity. Out since 11 a.m. Sunday morning, ComEd is still investigating cause.

Updated at 4:45 p.m.  Ninty percent of customers affected by this morning's power outage have seen electricity restored, a ComEd spokeswoman confirmed around 4:30 p.m. Sunday afternoon.  Crews are working to restore the remaining outages and are still uncertain what caused power loss for the 1,200 Glenview (and a small pocket of Northfield) customers beginning around 11 a.m. this morning.  Customers may report outages, view an outage map and sign up for free mobile outage alerts by visiting ComEd's website.  Stay tuned to Glenview Patch for the latest updates: Sign up for our newsletter & Like us on Facebook! ---------- More than 1,200 homes are without power this hot Sunday afternoon, a ComEd spokeswoman told Patch. Power outages began …

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Glenview Considering Alternate Electricity Supplier

A new trend: Aggregation companies, responsible for delivery of power from ComEd maintained power lines, may save the village money. A referndum is needed to 'opt in.'

ComEd Warns Customers Against Impersonation Scams

Representatives of the utility do not go door to door.

Prompted by a recent upswing in incidents involving scam artists impersonating ComEd workers, the utility is alerting its customers to be wary of gimmicks and schemes that could cost them money and valuable personal information.   “Last year, ComEd received 13 reports of impersonation incidents,” said Kevin Brookins, senior vice president of strategy and administration for ComEd. “In just the past two months of this year, we’ve already received 28 reports of customers who have been lured into disclosing credit card information, handing over money to scam artists or allowing an impersonator to enter their homes.”   In many of the reported cases, the impersonators identified themselves as a utility employee. Some of the perpetrators wore …

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Former Glenview-ite Makes Texting 911 Possible

Jay Malin's Northbrook company also works with ComEd, city of Chicago and the Canadian government.

If you’ve ever sent a text to ComEd to report an electrical outage, or messaged the City of Chicago to find out, say, where your car was towed, you’ve used something designed by Jay Malin.  The 42-year-old Northbrook resident is co-founder and managing director of AGENT511, a company that creates mobile messaging systems for municipalities, hospitals and other public service agencies around the country and even in Canada. Locally, AGENT511 is the force behind the City of Chicago’s text-message version of 311, called “ChiTEXT,” as well as an outage alert system for ComEd. “There are more cell phones in the U.S. than there are people,” says Malin, who grew up in Glenview. “It is almost literally a one-to-one ratio.” Malin co-founded the …

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