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The biggest disruptions hit more people despite fewer incidents.
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Pennsylvania saw fewer reportable electric outages in 2025 than in 2024, but nearly the same number of customers were affected.
A new Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission report released Sept. 21 said reportable outages in 2025 impacted nearly 2.9 million customers, roughly matching the prior year, according to PA Environment Digest.
Customer impact was essentially flat year over year: 2,884,067 customers were affected in 2025 versus 2,882,795 in 2024, even though the number of reportable outages dropped from a record 71 to 55.
The biggest disruptions hit more people despite fewer incidents. The report said 20 “Major Events,” abnormal or extreme occurrences that stress the electric distribution system, affected about 1.7 million customers in 2025, up sharply from around 696,000 in 2024. Weather remained the dominant cause, with 52 of the 55 reportable outages tied to weather effects on electric distribution systems.
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Four utilities — Citizens, Pike Electric, UGI Electric, and Wellsboro — had no reportable outages. Among the rest, PPL Electric recorded the most with 15, followed by Met-Ed with 11, West Penn Power with 10, Penelec with 9, PECO with 7, Duquesne Light with 2, and Penn Power with 1.
Going solar is one of the best ways to save money on home energy, and it can also help households reduce their dependence on a grid that is increasingly strained by severe weather. Homeowners who want to explore the option can use EnergySage to get free solar installation estimates and compare quotes.
Compared with 2024, nine of Pennsylvania’s 11 electric distribution companies improved outage frequency, while eight improved average restoration time and eight improved overall outage duration.
Still, year-over-year improvement is not the same as meeting commission benchmarks. Only four utilities met the benchmark for average restoration time, four met the outage-frequency benchmark, and five met the benchmark for overall outage duration.
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The Pennsylvania PUC said it continues to assess how utilities maintain and upgrade their systems, manage vegetation near power lines, and respond when storms hit. It also wants utilities to closely monitor crew staffing and how fast they can mobilize when outages occur.
Its Bureau of Technical Utility Services also took part in a Resiliency Deep Dive Project in 2025 that examined how extreme weather and changing climate conditions affect Pennsylvania’s electric distribution systems, including wind-speed thresholds linked to surging outage rates.
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“The numbers show improvement, but they also remind us how much work remains,” Pennsylvania PUC Chairman Steve DeFrank said. “Reliability is ultimately measured by what customers experience — how often the lights go out, how widespread those outages are, and how quickly service is safely restored. With severe weather continuing to test our electric systems, we need to keep strengthening the grid, improving storm preparation and response, and focusing investments where they can make the greatest difference for consumers.”
For more on grid reliability, outage risk, and home backup options, these stories add context as Pennsylvania utilities face mounting weather pressure. They cover electricity losses in Pennsylvania, summer outage risks across the U.S., regional grid upgrades in New Jersey, and solar-plus-battery systems that can keep homes powered.
• Pennsylvania is pressing utilities to show they’re fixing grid losses as electricity disappears in transit.
• The North American Electric Reliability Corporation assessment warns summer outage risk is rising in several U.S. regions.
• New Jersey approved a nearly billion-dollar grid update to strengthen service during extreme weather.
• Across the U.S., backup power is increasingly critical as blackouts grow more common.
• Homeowners are turning to next-gen battery alternatives as Tesla loses backup-power dominance.
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© 2025 THE COOL DOWN COMPANY. All Rights Reserved. Do not sell or share my personal information. Reach us at hello@thecooldown.com.

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