With the coldest temperatures in more than a year expected to arrive tonight, the Tennessee Valley Authority is asking consumers to conserve power, where possible.
TVA expects temperatures to dip into single digits tonight across its 7-state area, potentially pushing power demand close to the utility’s all-time winter peak set during the cold snap in January 2014 when electricity demand jumped to 33,352 megawatts.
“Right now, our forecast shows that we could be approaching the same power levels we saw last January during the Polar Vortex in terms of temperatures and power demand,” TVA spokesman Jim Hopson said.
All consumers residential, commercial and industrial customers are being asked to conserve power and customers on interruptible power contracts are getting notices that they should either limit consumption or pay premium rates to keep power delivery. TVA expects the cold to last through noon on Friday.
“As we have done through the last several rounds of cold weather, TVA will use all of our available generating sources to meet the expected high power demand, which will likely peak on Thursday morning,” Jacinda Woodward, senior vice president of TVA Transmission and Power Supply, said in a statement today. “As consumers of TVA power, we all can step up to help reduce power consumption and lower our own power bills at the same time.”
Woodward said simply turning down the thermostat even a single degree can save up to 3 percent on future power bills.
Beginning today, TVA will be following its own advice by lowering thermostats at its office buildings and other facilities, and many local power companies are doing the same.
Additional tips for saving on your power bill and reducing electric demand can be found on TVA’s EnergyRight Solutions website, and include:
* Opening the blinds on the south side of your home during sunny days, but keeping the blinds closed on cloudy days and at night.
* Postpone using electric appliances such as dishwashers, dryers and cooking equipment during peak power use times early in the morning and early in the evening.
* Turn off nonessential lights, appliances, electronics and other electrical equipment.
Hopson said TVA’s electric system “remains secure and stable at this time.”
The biggest peak demand will likely occur Thursday morning with electric loads reaching nearly 33,000 megawatts. In comparison, demand was 32,751 megawatts during the height of the cold wave on Jan. 7, 2015.