No Coronavirus-Related Service Shutoffs: O&R

PEARL RIVER, NY — Orange & Rockland has halted all meter reading and installation of smart meters at customers’ homes during the new coronavirus outbreak, company officials announced Monday.

Other steps O&R and Rockland Electric Co. have taken to respond to the outbreak include:

• Stopping shutoffs of electric and natural gas service due to non-payment resulting from the health crisis. We will continue to shut off service when there is a safety issue.
• Will not bill new late-payment charges for all customers and will suspend the fee charged to a customer who is unable to grant access to their property.
• Temporarily shutting down customer service walk-in business centers. Customers still can do business with Orange & Rockland and Rockland Electric Co. online via www.oru.com/myaccount. or by downloading the free O&R mobile app.

"Nothing is more important than health and safety,” said Robert Sanchez, the president and CEO of Orange & Rockland and Rockland Electric Co. “We want to protect everyone while providing the safe, reliable service our customers need. While many of our in-home work activities have been put on hold, we are focusing on system infrastructure work that ensures safety and reliability.'

The decision builds on steps the companies took previously to support public health and safety during the local outbreak of the virus officially known as COVID-19.

Orange & Rockland and Rockland Electric Co. will enter a customer’s home only for emergencies, safety-related inspections and customer-requested service connections and enhancements.

Orange & Rockland and Rockland Electric Co. employees who need to enter a home for one of these reasons will carry proper identification. Workers are following U.S. Centers for Disease Control and New York State and New Jersey guidelines.

The workers will ask if anyone in the household is ill and discuss how they may carry out their tasks with everyone’s safety and comfort in mind.

Orange & Rockland and Rockland Electric Co. are always ready to respond to every emergency. The energy companies managers and crews are committed to keeping New York and New Jersey safe and the service reliable.

If you have an appointment, please let the utility know if you or anyone in your premises is quarantined by calling 1-877-434-4100. All company employees and contractors are advised to follow social distancing guidelines.

Orange & Rockland and Rockland Electric Co. also are having administrative employees work from home, field personnel conduct pre-job briefings in smaller groups, and dividing workers into teams. The company instructs employees to follow the CDC guidelines, including hand washing, and social distancing.

Orange and Rockland Utilities, Inc. 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 & Rockland) and northern New Jersey (where its Rockland Electric Company), and natural gas service to about 130,000 customers in New York.