News release from Indiana Michigan Power:
Winter weather can slow meter reading
(February 10, 2011) – As much of the Midwest continues to deal with severe winter weather that made roads impassable a week ago, large accumulations of snow and ice remain in areas near electric meters creating hazardous situations for Indiana Michigan Power (I&M) meter readers, line mechanics and other employees who spend their workdays outdoors.
“Public safety and the safety of our employees in these challenging conditions is very important to us,” said Paul Chodak III, president and chief operating officer for Indiana Michigan Power. “Our customers can be assured that if there is an occasion we may not be able to physically read a meter, we will work to make sure that customers will ultimately only pay for the electricity they use.”
I&M offers the following tips to promote safe conditions for customers and employees and to allow for timely and accurate meter readings:
[list type=”BW”]
[li]Make sure that the path leading to the meter and the area around the meter is safe and free from excessive snow and clutter – especially if there are stairs that lead to the meter.[/li]
[li]Please continue to keep dogs secured and away from meters.[/li]
[/list]Unusual circumstances, such as inclement weather, bad road conditions, locked gates and unrestrained dogs occasionally prevent I&M from reading a meter. When a meter cannot be read, usage is estimated. Estimated readings will be clearly indicated on the billing statement. Any difference between estimated and actual use will be reconciled with the next actual reading.
By providing safe and easy access to meters, obtaining an actual reading rather than an estimated reading is possible. Customers who have questions after receiving an estimated bill may contact I&M at 1-800-311-4634.
As a convenience to customers, the next scheduled read date is printed on each month’s electric bill. The meter reading schedule for the year is available for viewing at https://www.indianamichiganpower.com/account/
About Indiana Michigan Power
Indiana Michigan Power (I&M) is headquartered in Fort Wayne, and serves more than 582,000 customers in Michigan and Indiana. It operates 3,595 MW of coal-fired generation in Indiana, 2,110 MW of nuclear generation in Michigan and 22 MW of hydro generation in both states. The company also provides its customers 150 MW of purchased wind generation.I&M is a unit of American Electric Power (NYSE: AEP), which is one of the largest electric utilities in the United States, delivering electricity to more than 5 million customers in 11 states. AEP ranks among the nation’s largest generators of electricity, owning more than 38,000 megawatts of generating capacity in the U.S. AEP also owns the nation’s largest electricity transmission system, a nearly 39,000-mile network that includes more 765 kilovolt extra-high voltage transmission lines than all other U.S. transmission systems combined. AEP’s transmission system directly or indirectly serves about 10 percent of the electricity demand in the Eastern Interconnection, the interconnected transmission system that covers 38 eastern and central U.S. states and eastern Canada, and approximately 11 percent of the electricity demand in ERCOT, the transmission system that covers much of Texas. AEP’s utility units operate as AEP Ohio, AEP Texas, Appalachian Power (in Virginia and West Virginia), AEP Appalachian Power (in Tennessee), Indiana Michigan Power, Kentucky Power, Public Service Company of Oklahoma, and Southwestern Electric Power Company (in Arkansas, Louisiana and east Texas). AEP’s headquarters are in Columbus, Ohio.
Additional information about I&M is available at https://www.IndianaMichiganPower.com
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