Extremely cold weather across the East Coast is causing high energy demand in the Carolinas. Duke Energy has asked its customers in North and South Carolina to voluntarily reduce their electricity use between 4 a.m. and 10 a.m. on Monday, Feb. 2, to help lower stress on the power grid and decrease the chance of temporary outages.
Customers are encouraged to set thermostats as low as comfortably possible, avoid using large appliances during peak hours, turn off unnecessary devices and lights, and charge electric vehicles during midday when demand is lower.
“We know it’s inconvenient to reduce electric use, but it makes a real difference,” said Gerald Wilson, Duke Energy vice president of grid operations. “We are taking every step to meet our customers energy needs, including maximizing our generation and purchasing power and working with large commercial and industrial customers who have demand response programs. We appreciate our customers’ cooperation, patience and understanding as we work to maintain reliable service across the Carolinas.”
Duke Energy serves about 8.6 million electric utility customers in six states: North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida, Indiana, Ohio, and Kentucky. The company also provides natural gas services to approximately 1.7 million customers in five states.
The company continues efforts toward an energy transition by investing in grid upgrades and cleaner forms of generation such as natural gas, nuclear power, renewables, and energy storage.
More information can be found at duke-energy.com or through their social media channels.
