In the area of reliability, CWLP received high marks for reliability tracking, mutual aid and infrastructure security.
CWLP uses five different indices to track its reliability and, compared to other public power and investor-owned utilities in Illinois, demonstrates an outstanding record in each. On average, CWLP customers experience about 50% fewer outages than customers of other major Illinois electric companies and the duration of CWLP's outages is only about one-third as long.
The utility also participates in mutual aid programs that enable us to call upon other electric utilities across the country for repair and restoration assistance should a catastrophic outage event occur. This availability of manpower and service vehicles can dramatically shorten the duration of widespread outages, ensuring our customers will be without service for the shortest possible time.
To maintain the security of CWLP's electric system, the utility has undertaken a variety of infrastructure protection measures, including the use of both low- and high-tech systems/methods designed to monitor and limit access to secure facilities and computer networks. Employee background checks and specialized training are also utilized.

Under the direction of the utility's Safety Leadership Council, the utility has continued to reduce OSHA-recordable accidents and exceeded its 2012 and 2013 safety goals. Utility Environmental Health and Safety Office staff members hold regular employee safety meetings to discuss and reinforce safety messages and awareness. In recent years, the utility also implemented a safety incentive program, a voluntary stretching and core-strengthening program, and a weight-control incentive program at a number of facilities to encourage employees to improve their overall health and reduce the potential for illness and injury both on and off the job.

As part of its succession planning, CWLP has identified the demographics of its workforce by the age, eligibility for retirement, and position of each employee.
To ensure engineers, linemen, construction crews, and all other key division personnel will remain up-to-date regarding state-of-the-art work techniques, the CWLP Electric Division makes available a variety of training opportunities, including conferences and workshops, in-house training sessions, professional development courses, and tuition reimbursement for relevant college courses.

In the area of system improvement, CWLP received high marks for research and development (R&D), energy conservation and efficiency programs, and planning.
The utility is a member of DEED, the APPA's R&D program. It also participates in the University of Illinois Power Affiliates Program, which sponsors graduate level research projects in the power and energy sectors.
The CWLP Energy Services Office is responsible for developing and administering a number of Demand Side Management programs and other services aimed at reducing system demand and improving system load factor by increasing the efficiency with which customers use electricity and encouraging them to modify some of their consumption habits/practices.
The Electric Division also conducts routine utility equipment inspections and maintenance based on documented schedules, and is nearing completion of a multi-year distribution upgrade project in downtown Springfield that involves replacing aging overhead facilities with new underground facilities, including primary and secondary cables, transformers, pad-mount switchgear, and metering. In addition, near-future plans call for several transmission system upgrades.