Published April 06. 2017 12:00AM
PPL Electric Utilities announced March 30it is asking customers not to use LED nightlights contained in energy-efficiency kits after three people reported the units started smoking and one reported it caught fire.
The nightlights were part of kits mailed to customers who completed online home energy assessments and in kits given to students at as part of PPL’s THINK! ENERGY school programs.
The schools affected in this area include: Pleasant Valley – Pleasant Valley Elementary, Pleasant Valley Intermediate; Tamaqua – Schuylkill Technology Center, Schuylkill Technology Center South, Tamaqua Elementary, West Penn Elementary, and; Walnutport – Lehigh Elementary.
“We have no reports of injuries or significant damage from these lights, but out of an abundance of caution, we are asking anyone who received one from PPL to stop using it immediately,” said Chris Cardenas, customer services vice president. “We are reaching out now to customers and schools and will provide ways to return the lights.”
Three customers reported the nightlights started smoking several hours after they were plugged in.
Another customer reported the light caught fire, leaving a mark on ceramic tile.
PPL and Ecova, the energy-efficiency contractor that distributed the lights for PPL, are investigating.
Ecova has been mailing the kits to customers who filled out an online home energy assessment. The bulk of the 5,000 kits sent out were mailed since February 2017.
Anyone who received a nightlight from PPL can call Ecova at 877-486-9204 with any questions.