ComEd launches interactive outage map and smartphone app

CHICAGO, May 7, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Building on recent initiatives to improve communications, coordination and storm response, ComEd today announced two more ways in which it is putting technology to work to provide better and faster  information for customers – a new interactive online outage map and a new mobile application for smart phones.

An interactive outage map is now available on ComEd.com.  The color-coded map allows customers to easily find information on the location and size of outages and get estimated power restoration times.

In addition, ComEd is now offering a mobile application for iPhone® and Android™ devices, enabling users to conveniently report power outages and manage their accounts from their smartphones.

"These new features are just two of many improvements ComEd has made in recent months as part of our focus on delivering greater value to our customers through enhanced customer service," said Terence R. Donnelly, executive vice president and chief operations officer, ComEd. "The new, interactive map allows customers to quickly find detailed information about outages in their communities.  And the app makes it easier for customers to conduct business with us by leveraging the convenience of a smartphone."

Using the map, customers can report outages and view all outages in the ComEd service territory.  Color-coded icons indicate the number of customers affected by each incident.  The map allows customers to zoom in on a specific area for details, such as the estimated restoration time and crew status. Information is updated every 30 minutes. A mobile version of the map is being developed.

The outage map can be found under the Customer Service tab at ComEd.com or by visiting https://www.comed.com/map.

The new mobile application enables customers to:

• Report an outage and check restoration status
• View their account summary and history
• Manage payments, including budget billing, automatic payments and one-time payments
• Report a meter reading
• Find a location to make an in-person payment

To download the free application, customers should visit https://www.comed.com/app or search "ComEd" in their smartphone's application store.

ComEd has made numerous enhancements in the last year to improve communications and customer service including:

• A two-way text messaging system that allows customers to report their outages to ComEd by text and enables the utility to text restoration information back to customers;
• A $1-million state-of-the-art regional mobile command center, equipped with the latest communications, satellite and video conferencing technology.  It can be deployed to the worst-hit areas in a storm;
• A 20 percent increase in the number of first-responders and first-line supervisors available for storm field support;
• Expanded GPS deployment across the utility's mobile dispatch fleet to strengthen coordination of resources;
• Increased capacity for handling customer calls in the customer service center;
• A social energy application for Facebook, designed to provide customers with a better sense of their energy usage.

Commonwealth Edison Company (ComEd) is a unit of Chicago-based Exelon Corporation (NYSE: EXC), the nation's leading competitive energy provider, with approximately 6.6 million customers. ComEd provides service to approximately 3.8 million customers across northern Illinois, or 70 percent of the state's population.

SOURCE ComEd