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​PHILADELPHIA (October 31, 2017) – With scary and spooky creatures roaming the streets across the Philadelphia region this Halloween, PECO provides tips to help customers ensure energy "vampires" don't suck you dry when it comes to your energy use.

Vampire energy, also known as standby energy, is the energy drawn from outlets when equipment is off but still plugged in. Many types of electronics and office equipment, including mobile phone chargers, computers, printers, game consoles, and more, continue to draw electricity while they are plugged in and turned off. Vampire energy can account for 15 percent or more of the total electricity used by these devices.

The following tips can help you save energy and money.

• Use a power strip with an on/off switch to completely power down electronics around your home.

• Unplug your mobile phone charger, portable music player or other electronics once they are fully charged.

• Turn off all the lights when you leave a room.

• When preparing for out-of-town travel, always unplug all non-essential devices like televisions and other electronics.

• Look for the ENERGY STAR^® label on home appliances, electronics and other products. ENERGY STAR^® products meet strict energy efficiency guidelines set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy.

Discover where energy vampires may be haunting your home simply by signing into your account at peco.com. Here customers can track their energy use, set up usage alerts, get advice on how to reduce energy costs and learn which appliances use the most energy and why.

Save even more energy and money by scheduling an in-home energy assessment. For only $25, we'll send an energy advisor to your home, provide a personal energy assessment, and offer energy efficient upgrades on the spot. Schedule an appointment today at peco.com/assessment or call 1-888-5-PECO-SAVE. 

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PECO, founded in 1881, is Pennsylvania's largest electric and natural gas utility.  Headquartered in Philadelphia, PECO delivers energy to more than 1.6 million electric customers and more than 516,000 natural gas customers in southeastern, Pennsylvania.  The company's 2,500 employees are dedicated to the safe and reliable delivery of electricity and natural gas as well as enhanced energy management conservation, environmental stewardship and community assistance.  PECO was named 2017 Best Mid-size Employer in Philadelphia by Forbes Magazine. The company also has an estimated annual economic impact of $4.3 billion in Pennsylvania, supporting more than 8,700 local jobs and producing $732 million in labor income.  PECO is a subsidiary of Exelon Corporation (NYSE: EXC), the nation's only Fortune 100 utility and leading competitive energy provider. For more information visit PECO.com, and connect with the company on Facebook and Twitter.

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