Duke Energy has called on its customers in North Carolina and South Carolina to voluntarily reduce electricity usage due to extremely low temperatures, which are causing unusually high energy demand across the East Coast. The company is requesting that customers lower their energy consumption between 4 a.m. and 10 a.m. on Monday, February 2, to help ease the strain on the grid and decrease the risk of temporary power outages.
To support this effort, Duke Energy recommends several actions for customers: lowering thermostats to the lowest comfortable setting, avoiding use of large appliances such as washers, dryers, and dishwashers during peak hours, turning off unnecessary devices and lights, and charging electric vehicles at midday when demand is lower.
Gerald Wilson, vice president of grid operations at Duke Energy, said: “We know that reducing electricity use is an inconvenience but it makes a big difference. We are taking all necessary steps to meet our customers’ energy needs, including maximizing our generation capacity 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 throughout North Carolina and South Carolina.”
Duke Energy is one of the largest electric power holding companies in the United States. Headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, it serves about 8.6 million electric utility customers across six states including Florida, Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky as well as both Carolinas. The company’s natural gas businesses serve approximately 1.7 million customers in five states.
The company continues its transition toward cleaner energy sources while prioritizing reliability for its customers by investing in major grid upgrades and expanding clean generation options such as natural gas, nuclear power, renewables and energy storage solutions.
More information can be found at duke-energy.com or through their social media channels on X (formerly Twitter), LinkedIn, Instagram and Facebook.
