Safety & Service

The safety of the public and Citizens’ Electric crews is our top priority. Click here for information pertaining to Safety and Fundamentals of Electricity

Online applications for residential and commercial/industrial service are available here. Downloadable pdf versions are also available at the same location. Please be sure to select the correct form for the type of service you need.

After your application for service is received, Citizens’ Electric will contact you, and if necessary, will schedule a field visit to complete the service design.

All Customer owned equipment shall be installed and maintained in accordance with the provisions of the latest edition of the National Electric Code. Citizens’ Electric will not connect new service until the Customer owned equipment has been inspected by an approved electrical inspector and a certificate of inspection has been received.

Citizens’ Electric will furnish and maintain the appropriate meter, transformer, and service line from existing distribution lines to the point of service connection with the Customer’s equipment. Service extension rules may require a customer contribution in aid of construction. 

Additional technical information is available below.

As electrical vehicles multiply on our streets and highways, the need for chargers grows with them. This presents new and continuously changing challenges for the electric distribution system.

The electrical demands of EV charging range from Level 1 charging that requires nothing more than a standard 120V outlet, to Level 3 charger banks that may require industrial level electric supply. In a constantly changing and advancing industry, charging presents a moving target for utilities to plan for and accommodate.

To ensure that our customers have adequate supply for their individual charging needs, and that our major transportation corridors have ample charging infrastructure, we ask that EV owners and anyone installing Level 2 or 3 charging stations contact Citizens’ Electric early in the planning process. Here’s how we can help each other succeed:

The simplest and least demanding means of charging. Level 1 charging is nothing more than plugging your EV into a standard 120V outlet to charge. You don’t need to contact Citizens’ Electric to accommodate Level 1 charging, but there are some important factors to consider before you plug in:

• Whose power is it? New technology often develops at a faster pace than etiquette on how to use it can keep up. Make sure you have the permission of the individual or business paying the utility bill before you begin charging. What might seem like ‘just a little juice’ can really add up over time!

• Is the outlet properly wired and in good condition? Level 1 charging typically draws 12-16 amps. Ideally, outlets used for Level 1 charging should be rated at 20A, the wiring behind them should be a minimum of 12/2, and the circuit should be protected by a 20A breaker. Charging through an underrated outlet or circuit could result in overloading the outlet or wire, or tripping a circuit breaker.

• Is this the best way to charge? Level 1 charging is simple and universal, but it’s also slow. Level 1 charging provides less than ten miles of driving range per hour of charge (as little as 3 miles of range for larger EV’s!). Make sure you have enough time to charge to guarantee you’ll reach your next destination, and if you’re cutting it close, it may be time to consider installing a Level 2 charger.

Common in homes and small businesses looking to provide charging perks for employees, Level 2 chargers require about the same electrical capacity as a clothes dryer or electric range. If you’re installing a Level 2 charger in your home or business, it’s time to call Citizens’ Electric. A Level 2 charger is equivalent to a new major electrical appliance, so it’s important to consider whether your building electrical wiring and service are sufficient for the new addition.

• Hire a professional. Installing a Level 2 charger isn’t a DIY job for the weekend warrior. Improperly installed chargers and wiring can have serious consequences.

• Check with your utility. We’re here to help! We can check your past usage and help you determine if our wires or your service equipment need to be upgraded before you begin charging. 

• Look ahead. Before you install a charger, consider your future needs. Will you need additional charging stations in the future? How close are you to needing a service upgrade? How much time do you have to charge and how much driving range do you need each day? Answering these questions will help you get it right the first time and avoid costly rework or disappointing results in the future.

Level 3 covers a wide range of charging capacity. At a minimum, a Level 3 charger will require a 3-phase, 480V electric supply. Level 3 charging is what will power the transportation corridors of tomorrow, providing up to 20 miles of range per minute of charging. For businesses and organizations looking to power fleets or improve regional transportation, Level 3 chargers can provide the power and speed necessary. Unlike lower level charging, Level 3 requires significant planning, time and investment. Involving Citizens’ Electric early in the process is a must for success, and we want to help!

• Apply for new or upgraded service. Level 3 chargers will often need their own electric supply, for both financial and electrical reasons. Apply for new commercial/industrial service here. If you do plan to add Level 3 charging to an existing service, we still need to know. Call Citizens’ Electric to open a service order and begin a conversation with our engineering department.

• Start early! Depending upon size and location, long lead time material and substantial utility system construction may be required to supply Level 3 charging locations. Involving Citizens’ Electric early in the process helps us to help you meet your deadlines.

• Applying for a grant? Most grants and other funding sources require utility contact and estimates before applications will be considered. Please let us know if you are applying for grants and what utility information is needed so that we can help you successfully fund your project.

Electricity, once a luxury, is now essential. Many households and businesses are investigating back-up power generators for use during an outage.

Generators are widely available in a range of sizes and configurations. Some come equipped with gas or diesel engines, with manual or automatic start. Others operate from the power take-off (PTO) attachment found on farm tractors. All generators have one thing in common — they produce electricity at levels high enough to cause injury, death and property damage. That doesn’t mean they shouldn’t be used. But, like any other electrical equipment, they must be correctly sized and properly installed.

If you plan to provide enough electricity to power your normal electrical load during an outage, you will need a generator with a relatively large capacity. Generators are rated by the wattage they produce — usually expressed in kilowatts (kW) and are sized according to the loads they need to serve. Also important is the kind of service you receive, either single-phase or three-phase power. Most homes, small businesses and farms are supplied with single-phase 120/240 volt power.

NEVER run a generator inside a home or garage since toxic carbon monoxide can accumulate. If you use a portable generator, plug appliances directly into the unit. DO NOT plug the generator into a wall outlet, as that allows electricity to travel out of the house and onto the electric lines. Emergency generators must be completely isolated from Citizens’ lines to avoid “back-feed” into our system. During an outage, line workers trying to restore power – or anyone who contacts a downed line – could be seriously injured or killed by back-feed from an improperly connected generator.

If you are connecting a generator to your wiring system, a special switch must be installed to transfer your load from the utility power supply to the standby generator. The switch, called a double-throw switch, is designed to prevent a generator from feeding back onto Citizens’ lines and transformers. A properly connected switch makes it impossible to connect the utility power source and the generator at the same time. The double-throw switch is required by the National Electric Code when directly connecting an auxiliary power source.

Remember, the double-throw switch and wiring will carry the entire electrical load for the building it serves when it’s connected to Citizens’ lines during normal operation. These switches, like the generators they connect, are available in several configurations and power ratings. Choose a switch matched to your service configuration considering factors such as amperage and phase – not one matched to the generator output.

If you have questions concerning the safe installation and connection of an emergency back-up generator, contact Citizens’ Electric or your generator dealer. Together we can help you select and design a system that will safely provide temporary power without creating a safety hazard.

Electric service can be interrupted by many events. Lightning strikes from thunderstorms, high wind, heavy snowfall or ice can cause major disruptions. Other events might include:

• Automobile accidents involving power poles
• Animals such as squirrels shorting out power equipment
• Digging into an underground line

Customers should prepare for outages ahead of time to help minimize the impact.

Put together an emergency kit and keep it accessible. Include several flashlights, a battery powered radio or TV, and spare batteries. Test the flashlights and batteries on a regular basis to ensure proper operation when needed. Candles or lanterns fueled by propane or white gas are not recommended for indoor emergency lighting. A fully stocked kit should include first aid supplies, bottled water and nonperishable foods for extended outages. If you rely on a well pump for your water and a known major storm is approaching, it’s a good idea to fill some jugs for drinking water as well the bathtub for washing up and flushing the toilet.

If you have a generator you should follow all safety procedures for its use. Never run the generator inside any part of a building or garage. Never connect the generator into your circuit breaker or fuse box – always plug appliances directly into the generator outlets or connect it through a Company approved double-throw disconnect switch. Back-feed from even a very small generator can be deadly if it reaches Citizens’ Electric’s linemen. Generator back-feed has electrocuted linemen.

Lightning strikes from thunderstorms can cause surges in your home’s electrical wiring. To prevent damage, unplug devices such as computers, microwaves, TVs and stereos. Don’t overlook disconnecting the telephone and cable TV lines from any electronic equipment. Outages will prevent your home from being heated so be sure to have blankets available. If you use an alternative source of heat such as a wood burning stove or kerosene heater, be sure to read and follow all safety precautions concerning their operation.

Refrigerators and freezers will normally retain the cold and prevent food spoilage for more than 24 hours, but only if the doors stay closed. Do not open the doors unnecessarily. If you have a family member using electrically powered medical equipment such as an oxygen generator, be sure to have backup supplies on hand, and a plan for moving to another location until your power is restored.

If your power goes out, check your circuit breakers or fuses first. If they are okay, call Citizens’ Electric Company at 570-524-2231. We maintain a 24-hour call center to take your calls and dispatch repair crews. We will ask for your name, address, phone number, and a description of your problem. Other pertinent observations or information is always helpful.

Shutting off the circuit breakers to furnaces, electric heaters, refrigerators and freezers and all but a few lights will lessen the load on the power lines and make restoring service easier for Citizens’ Electric repair crews. Once the lights come back on you can turn all your breakers on.

Outage restoration follows a well-prepared plan. Certain critical services such as hospitals, elderly care facilities, fire stations, police headquarters, emergency management centers, water filtration plants, wastewater treatment facilities and other similar facilities are given a high restoration priority. The balance of the system is restored based on getting the greatest number of customers back on over the shortest period of time. Scattered individual outages are generally addressed once those affecting larger numbers of customers have been repaired.

From computers, TV’s and alarm systems to microwave ovens and smart appliances, our homes and offices are filled with devices that were only dreams of futurists long ago. Most of these popular and labor-saving tools are controlled by microprocessors – tiny computer chips and circuit boards. These devices operate on precise voltages and are more sensitive to variations in utility power supply than appliances from a generation ago.

When there is a momentary power interruption, the microprocessors lose their “memory” – or internal data. Most interruptions are so brief that they went unnoticed years ago. However, today’s electronics can be disrupted by even the shortest interruption.

Eternal Midnight
You may find them annoying, but those digits flashing “12:00” on your microwave or clock radio mean that one of the safety devices installed by Citizens’ Electric to protect you and the power system has done its job.

The device, called a recloser, acts like a self-resetting circuit breaker. When a short circuit caused by a tree branch, small animal or weather-related problem occurs, the recloser “opens” and interrupts the flow of power for a moment on the section of line it protects. The recloser waits a short time and “recloses”, restoring power to the line.

If the short circuit condition is gone, the recloser stays closed and power continues to flow to your home. If the problem persists after multiple tries, the recloser “locks open” to help prevent property damage or personal injury until the problem can be investigated. Reclosers and the momentary interruptions of power they provide are essential to the safe delivery of electricity. Most of the time, these momentary interruptions allow power to be successfully restored without an extended outage. Unfortunately, they may also cause your clocks to blink.

Minimizing Blinks
It is important to remember that power lines are sited through wooded areas, near roadways and across rivers. The lines are constantly exposed to the elements, wildlife and other conditions that present challenges for providing interruption-free operation.

There are steps you can take to minimize the inconvenience caused by momentary interruptions. These steps can be as simple as purchasing appliances that have a battery back-up system built in to maintain the clock. Other electric loads such as computers, printers and fax machines can be plugged into an inexpensive uninterruptible power supply (UPS). A UPS is essentially a plug-in battery back-up and will keep your equipment operating during short power outages, providing an opportunity to save data before it is lost.

In order to provide safe and reliable electric service to our customers, trees must be properly maintained and kept clear of electric power lines. Trees growing to close to electric lines are one of the primary sources of prolonged power outages, as well as annoying blinks. Trees that grow too close to power lines can be a real danger to children who climb them. Limbs and branches that make contact with the lines may become energized, creating a potentially hazardous situation.

To help maintain safe, reliable electric service to our customers, Citizens’ Electric has a right of way clearing and trimming program to control brush and trees in the vicinity of our power lines. When Citizens’ Electric identifies an area that needs trimming, our contractors’ representative will attempt to contact affected property owners to explain the extent of trimming planned. This contact could be by personal visit, phone call or a door tag left on your door a minimum of a few days before work will be done. This gives the owner the opportunity to contact us with any questions or concerns. The owner may also request the tree to be evaluated for possible removal at this time.

Our line clearance contractors are trained and qualified to meet OSHA and ANSI standards. The contractor will use nationally approved trimming techniques and procedures established by the International Society of Arboriculture and the Tree Care Industry Association. Citizens’ also requires contractors to have a certified arborist on staff.

Topping or Rounding Over Trees
The term roundover describes an unhealthy practice of trimming a tree to the desired height and sculpting it into a ball. Topping is a method which removes an excessive amount of the tree’s foliage. Rounding over or topping are not considered proper pruning practices. They are damaging to the tree and ineffective. Masses of upright shoots sprout from the wound site and grow very quickly back into the lines.

For more information on topping trees visit:
Don’t Top Trees
Think Before You Top
Tree Topping – The Cost is Greater Than You Think

Pruning Methods Utilized by Citizens’ Electric
All trees will be trimmed by utilizing an industry-recognized best practice known as directional pruning. Every effort will be made to trim back to a lateral that is at least 1/3 the diameter of the limb being removed. In addition, this lateral will extend away from the conductor. A minimum of cuts will be utilized to achieve required clearances. To provide adequate clearance around power lines, some trees require more pruning than others.

Wherever possible, all trimming cuts are made to direct future growth and sprouting away from the power lines. Live branches are removed by making cuts as close as possible to the branch collar. Precautions are taken to avoid stripping or tearing of bark when cutting large-diameter limbs.

Dead wood is not removed unless it either endangers the reliability of the line or the Company’s designated representative authorizes such action. Dead branches are removed by making cuts as close as possible to the living tissues that surround the dead branch at the base.

Where practical, cuts are primarily restricted to large diameter branches made well within the crown. Shaping through the use of many cuts of small diameter branches in the outer crown is avoided.

After a tree is pruned or removed, small tree limbs and branches are chipped; wood that is too large for the chipper will be left on the property and is the responsibility of the property owner to dispose of.
Acceptable Trimming Methods

Every effort is made to trim trees by the following acceptable methods:

The American National Standard for Tree Care Operations (ANSI A300) – Tree, Shrub and Other Wood Plant Maintenance – Standard Practices and the International Society of Arboriculture Tree Pruning Guidelines

(A) Through Trimming – To be utilized when a tree is located under the conductors and the “top” branches must be trimmed back to lower the crown of the tree. This style of trimming should include the “V-Out” method, which gives proper clearance of wires that are running through or above the center of the tree.

(B) Side Trimming – To be utilized when the tree grows beside a conductor and the side branches extend into the zone around the conductors where it is desirous to be kept free of branches. In those cases when the parent stem of a tree is at the edge of the right-of-way, limbs protruding into the right-of-way should be removed at the branch bark collar on the main stem floating the top of the tree back away from the conductors.

For more information on utility pruning see:
https://extension.psu.edu/pruning-for-utility-line-clearance

Secondaries and Services
Citizens’ Electric Company does not routinely trim for services, however customers may request a field representative to review specific situations.

Wound Dressing
The application of wound dressing is no longer an acceptable practice in the arboriculture industry. Research shows no benefits in decay prevention and it may even cause harm. Therefore, we will not apply these products.

Acknowledgements
The National Arbor Day Foundation and the National Association of Foresters have recognized Citizens’ Electric as a Tree Line USA utility since 2003. We were also acknowledged in 2001 with the Urban and Community Forestry Award for Industry Achievement. This award was given for promoting proper tree pruning, public education and funding our tree replacement program.

Citizens’ uses directional pruning techniques; these techniques were developed by the National Arborist Association and published by the American National Standard Institute (ANSI). Directional pruning is the accepted standard by the National Arbor Day Foundation and the International Society of Arboriculture.

Additional Information:
www.treesaregood.org

If you’re thinking of installing a pool…building an addition…installing a deck or patio…planting or undertaking any project that will involve digging, check to see if there is anything under the ground.

Citizens’ Electric and other utilities including telephone, water, sewage, cable and natural gas bury many of their lines. You don’t want to damage them or risk injury or death.

Just one telephone call to the Pennsylvania One Call System (811) can tell you all you need to know. This non-profit organization has over 30 years’ experience helping both do-it-yourselfers and contractors get their digging projects off to a safe start.

Be sure to call at least three (3) working days before you plan to begin your project. Pennsylvania One Call System will run a computer look-up to identify and notify affected utilities. The utilities will respond by marking the location of their lines or informing the excavator of “no conflict” with the site.

Get your project off to a safe start. Before you dig, call Pennsylvania One Call System at 811.

Pennsylvania One Call System

If you are interested in connecting a small generator – such as a windmill, solar photovoltaic (SPV) project, biodigester or other facility – to Citizens’ Electric’s distribution system, we can help walk you through the process.

By completing the appropriate interconnection application, providing the requested information including IRS Tax Form W-9, and satisfying all applicable requirements, you can help to ensure a safe and reliable interconnection project.

Please complete the appropriate application and mail it to:

Citizens’ Electric Company
Attn: Engineering Dept.
1775 Industrial Blvd.
Lewisburg, PA 17837

Completed applications can also be emailed to operations@citizenselectric.com.

Fees: The Pennsylvania PUC has approved the following standard application fees for small generator interconnection applications filed with PA EDCs. These fees are non refundable and must be included with your completed interconnection application.

PLEASE INCLUDE A NOTE OR CLEARLY INDICATE ON THE CHECK THAT IT IS A SOLAR INTERCONNECTION FEE.

Checks without sufficient notation may cause delays in application processing.

Level 1 – $100.

Level 2 – $250 plus $1 per kW of the nameplate capacity rating of the customer-generator’s facility, plus the cost of any minor modifications to the electric distribution company’s distribution system or additional review if required.

Level 3 – $350 plus $2 per kW of the nameplate capacity rating of the customer-generator’s facility, plus the cost of any feasibility studies, system impact studies or facilities studies required.

Level 4 – Please contact Citizens’ Electric for additional information if submitting a Level 4 application.

If you have any questions, contact us at (570) 524-2231 Monday through Friday from 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

For additional information regarding customer-owned small generator interconnection, please see Citizens’ Electric’s Tariff – Rider B, Net Metering (page 64).

See also: PA Public Utility Commission’s Renewable Energy information page. 

Interconnection Application Forms

Reference Documentation

Citizens’ recognizes the value that space on our poles represents to a wide variety of businesses and organizations. Please proceed to our pole attachments page for more information on gaining access to space on Citizens’ poles.

Pole Attachments Site