Rising temperatures brings higher power demands, and local utilities and Tennessee Valley Authority are asking residents to help conserve energy.
On Tuesday, the Columbus Light and Water Board of Commissioners held its regular meeting in a 73-degree board room surrounded by dark rooms and hallways.
General Manager Angela Verdell said the utility raised its thermostats and has been keeping unnecessary lights off since 8:15 a.m. Tuesday, when TVA initiated Step 10 of its Emergency Load Curtailment Program and asked all local power companies to voluntarily conserve power.
Verdell said TVA initiated the next step, Step 20, only 15 minutes later, asking all local residents to join the conservation effort.
“We’re just under this conservation now until they say, ‘We have now reached our peak. We’ve successfully been able to do it without having any problems, and so now you’re released from being under Step 20,” Verdell told the board.
Temperatures are expected to be in the 90s throughout the week.
Verdell said there are three more steps in the curtailment program before TVA would begin implementing rolling blackouts. The third step, Step 30, requires TVA and local utilities to reduce voltage across the system by 5%. Step 40 would initiate targeted curtailment to large users like local industry, large businesses and schools.
If those measures still don’t ease demand, Step 50 commences rolling blackouts, requiring local companies to cut portions of power on a rotating basis.
TVA rarely implements blackouts, and Verdell doesn’t anticipate this week will be any different. CLW is asking customers to conserve energy personally by making small changes, including keeping lights off and saving energy intensive activities, like running the dishwasher or doing laundry, until late in the evening or early in the morning.
“Just small things that you would think really wouldn’t make a difference, but when you multiply that across seven states and that many users, it can have a positive impact on the system,” Verdell said.
4-County Power Association also asked customers Tuesday to begin personally conserving energy if possible. Jon Turner, director of public relations and marketing, said the utility is anticipating the energy saving measure will be in effect throughout the rest of the week.
“It’s not uncommon when we get these high temperature events to get to that stage in the game,” Turner told The Dispatch. “So there’s probably a pretty good chance that we will be in and out of that through the end of the week.”
Turner said the most simple and effective way consumers can help with the curtailment is bumping up the thermostat “as much as you can stand it.”
“We’re not advocating that anybody put themselves into uncomfortableness or potential danger by doing that,” he said. “It’s not worth that, but a degree or two up is great. It will help a little bit.”
Starkville Utilities is also asking customers to conserve energy this week. General Manager Edward Kemp said customers can visit the company’s website to find specific ways to save energy.
“We have regular energy workshops to educate customers that they can conserve and manage their utility bills however they see fit,” he said. “… Ultimately conservation does help lower utility bills. It’s a win-win for everybody.”
McRae is a general assignment and education reporter for The Dispatch.
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