(WAND) - City Water, Light and Power's electric customers were notified of the possibility that voluntary electric conservation may be requested today Thursday, August 24 in the event of a regional energy emergency.
In a statement, CWLP said, "Per Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO), CWLP and other impacted central United States utilities are preparing to reduce electric usage and issue Conservation Advisories to avert an energy shortage and imbalance in the electric grid.
Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO) anticipates challenging conditions during heat waves and during generation outages and other events that can cause energy shortages. Advisories and planning for conservation are part of emergency procedures to ensure all entities can keep the power flowing."
The statement released to customers answered questions.
Why Is This Happening?
An energy shortage is being predicted by the regional grid operator, Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO), which issued its “Maximum Generation Event” advisory today, August 24 for 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. CST due to “forced generation outages, above normal temperatures and higher than forecasted load” impacting its entire footprint—15 states in central US and Canadian Province Manitoba. When demand on the grid doesn’t match the generation available, electric system damage and large-scale protective power outages known as rolling blackouts can occur.
What Would Be Requested For Electric Conservation?
If MISO upgrades its emergency and requests additional action, CWLP will then issue a “Conservation Warning” and ask its customers, without health or safety concerns, to voluntarily reduce electric usage during specified peak hours to avert electric service disruptions.
How Do I Know When to Conserve Energy?
As health and safety allows, customers can conserve energy any time to reduce usage and save money. For energy emergencies, CWLP will update its status on its Energy Emergency Page https://cwlp.com/energyemergency and keep updates on its Facebook https://www.facebook.com/4CWLP/ and Twitter pages https://twitter.com/CWLP_ and include specific times for conservation if requested.
A Conservation Warning-Level Orange is not being requested at this time, but CWLP issues this early notice to help prepare its electric customers that conservation may be needed for projected peak hours or times of energy shortages, if MISO upgrades its emergency.
CWLP shared the following tips for electric customers for energy emergencies during peak hours and hot temperatures:
- Set thermostats to 78 degrees or higher.
- Use floor or ceiling fans to cool off in occupied rooms.
- Turn off lights where not needed and postpone major appliance use, such as with washing machines, dryers and dishwashers.
- Turn off and disconnect electronics not in use such as computers, printers, copiers, coffee makers, televisions and charging devices.
- Shade west-facing windows in the afternoon to reduce solar heat gain.
- Turn off stand-alone dehumidifiers and electric water heaters at the source or by circuit breaker.
- Turn off or unplug water fountains that dispense chilled water.
- In larger buildings, increase chilled water supply temperature by up to 5 degrees.
- Reduce lighting for showroom displays and exterior signage wherever possible.
- Shut down all non-essential electric pumps, motors, processes, etc. and/or facilities where possible.
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