Orange & Rockland is Ready to Respond to Potential Outages as Summer’s First Heat Wave Blankets the Region

Orange and Rockland Utilities, Inc. (O&R) is prepared to respond to any service interruptions or outages with 2026's first major heat wave impacting the service territory ahead of the holiday weekend.

The heat, coupled with intense humidity, could last through the Fourth of July. The increased demand for electricity to power air conditioners can pose challenges to the electric delivery system, and, in some instances, could also cause electrical equipment to overheat and lead to scattered power outages.

O&R is reliable & ready. We make robust, strategic investments in our electric delivery system to prepare for extreme weather-investments that are increasingly important as extreme heat events become more frequent and severe.

O&R urges customers to use energy efficiently. The company is providing some cool tips to help customers try to stay comfortable and save money on energy:

• Turn down or turn off air conditioning in your home while you are away or at work to help lower your energy bill.
• Set your air conditioner to the highest comfortable temperature to save energy and money.
• Fans help cool and circulate air so you can rely less on air conditioning to stay comfortable.
• Close all doors and windows in your home while the air conditioning is running to make things cooler.
• Cook, bake, or perform other household activities that produce heat during the cooler times of the day and night.
• Pull your curtains and shades closed to help block out the sun and the heat of the day.
• Hold off on charging your electric vehicle. Charge your EV or plug-in hybrid after 10 p.m., unless necessary.
• Take advantage of your smart meter by viewing your energy usage and customized energy savings tips located in your online account at oru.com/MyAccount.
• Consider upgrading your older thermostats and appliances to ones that are more energy efficient. Smart thermostats can control the temperature in your home from anywhere. You can find customer-exclusive savings and rebates at MyORUStore.com.

For more energy efficiency tips, incentives, and rebates, please click here.

If you experience a power outage, don't assume that O&R automatically knows about it. You can report it and check to see when your lights will be back on through:

• ORU.com/ReportOutage from any computer or web-based mobile device.
• O&R mobile app from your iPhone, iPad, or Android device --- download via Apple Store or Google Play
• Text messaging by texting "OUT" to 678797 (ORUPWR) or
• Call 1-877-434-4100.
  
  

The company also sends e-mails to customers to communicate energy-saving tips and information on reporting outages.

Customer Protections During Extreme Heat

Residential customers are afforded specific safeguards during periods of elevated temperatures. Service disconnections are suspended when the local heat index is forecasted to reach 90°F or higher. We will also pause disconnections for two additional days in areas designated as heat islands. More information can be found here.

Cooling Center Availability

If New York State officials activate cooling centers, find the latest information on locations and hours by clicking here.

About O&R

Orange and Rockland Utilities, Inc. (O&R) is a wholly owned subsidiary of Consolidated Edison, Inc., one of the nation's largest investor-owned energy companies. O&R is a regulated utility that provides electric service to approximately 300,000 customers in southeastern New York State (where its franchise name is Orange and Rockland Utilities) and northern New Jersey (where it's Rockland Electric Company), and natural gas service to approximately 140,000 customers in New York.