A recent report from the North American Reliability Corporation (NERC) warned of potential issues with power supply in the Midwest this summer due to high demand during extreme heat and a shortfall of capacity. The area cited in the report covers some fifteen states where the grid is operated by the nonprofit organization known as MISO (Midcontinent Independent System Operator). The report and this week’s scorching temperatures have people asking us if their power could be affected this summer. While the answer is yes, we want people to remember three important things:
- Rolling outages are rare. Every piece of information we have (to date) leads us to believe that the chances of emergency actions such as rolling power outages are low, and we feel very good about our ability to meet demand in this area.
- PPS must always be prepared for any emergency, and NERC has required us, for years, to have a plan for grid emergencies. We are ready to deal with the worst-case scenario of rolling outages, and we are staying on top of the MISO situation.
- Should an energy emergency occur, we will do everything we can to minimize the effect on our customers, particularly critical services such as our hospitals, and to minimize the length of those outages.
It’s the time of year that we remind folks that being proactive about energy conservation helps, not only with demand on the grid, but with controlling electric bills during these sweltering months. The peak period of usage this time of year comes in the afternoon, from 2pm to 8pm. Anything you can do to conserve during this time is especially helpful in lowering the demand.
The more electricity you use, the higher your bill. PPS customers can monitor their usage through our mobile app or the customer portal on our webpage, paducahpower.com.
Keeping a close eye on your thermostat is one of the most important things you can do to control your usage. The U.S. Department of Energy recommends setting it on 78 when you’re home in the summer. If that’s too warm for you, try raising it a degree at a time to adjust to a warmer temperature. Keep those filters clean, too. Limiting the use of your stove can help to keep from heating up your house and making your air conditioning run so much. Microwaves, instant pots, crock pots and outside grills are good options this time of year. Washing full loads of laundry is important, as is tightly controlling how much you use the dryer. Look for all those little lights on appliances and electronics that indicate they are using some electricity, even when not in use, and unplug those. For more energy saving information about your home, contact us at 270-575-4000.
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