Several power companies in Louisiana are asking their customers to conserve electricity on Wednesday.
In Acadiana, SLEMCO says they are being asked to conserve power.
To do so, SLEMCO is urging customers to conserve as much power as possible from 5:00 pm to 10:00 pm on Wednesday night.
The request to conserve electricity comes from MISO, the Midcontinent Independent System Operator.
Lafayette Utilities System (LUS) has been instructed to notify and ask our customers to continue conserving electric power today, February 17.
Some immediate ways to help conserve energy:
- Set your thermostat to 68 degrees or lower
- Unplugging or turning off non-essential appliances or electronics
- Avoid using large appliances
- When not at home, lower the thermostat as much as possible. Be mindful of pets.
Entergy’s Louisiana customers are again asked to voluntarily reduce their electricity usage, especially between 5 p.m. and 10 p.m. this evening.
This request is due to the demand for electricity potentially exceeding the available generation due to the extreme cold and weather conditions currently impacting our service territory. Current load forecasts are approaching an all-time peak, even greater than those experienced during the polar vortex of January 2019.
The company’s reliability coordinator, the Midcontinent Independent System Operator, has made this request to Entergy and other utilities in its footprint, including other utilities in our area. If the power supply cannot meet the demand, then periodic power outages would be needed to prevent an extensive power outage that could last an extended period.
The request for electric use reduction does not apply to elderly customers or those with special health concerns.
Entergy crews have taken proactive steps to mitigate the impact of the extreme cold to our system, including placing additional power generation into service and adding additional personnel to our crews to closely monitor our facilities.
MISO comprises a pool of electricity generators and users that stretches from Canada to the Gulf of Mexico. As reliability coordinator, MISO is responsible for monitoring the portion of the electric grid it oversees and providing instructions to its members regarding actions needed to maintain reliability in that portion of the grid.
To balance the demand for power with available supply, Entergy has special agreements in place with some industrial and wholesale customers that allow for power curtailments during conditions in which such curtailments are needed to help maintain reliability. Some immediate ways residential customers can reduce electricity usage include:
- Lower the central thermostat to 68 degrees and adjust window units accordingly.
- Use energy-efficient ceiling fans and portable fans to circulate air to help with your comfort.
- Open blinds, drapes and curtains to let in warmth from the sun.
- Delay laundry, washing dishes, bathing and other non-essential uses of electricity until this appeal for conservation has ended.
- Wash clothes with cold water, cook foods at the lowest possible setting and refrain from opening the oven door while baking.
- Don’t allow warmed air to escape from the home.
Cleco is asking its customers to voluntarily reduce electricity usage until further notice, especially tonight between 5 p.m. and 10 p.m. CST, to avoid potential power outages.
“Conserving energy now could help keep the lights on later. If the power supply cannot meet the demand, periodic power outages could be needed to protect the stability of the power grid and prevent widespread lengthy outages,” said Jennifer Cahill, director of corporate communications. “Yesterday, we took the unprecedented step, as directed by MISO, to force outages across parts of our service territory. This is only the third time in the company’s 85-year history that this step has been taken – once in 2008 and the other two times during this winter storm event.”
Cleco would take this action, as directed by its regional reliability coordinator, MISO, as a last resort and in order to prevent a more extensive, prolonged power outage that could severely affect the reliability of the power grid. In this circumstance and depending on conditions, customers could experience multiple outages each lasting less than an hour until Cleco receives notification from MISO that this is no longer necessary to protect the electric grid system.
“Unfortunately, we don’t receive much advance notice before being forced to implement rolling power outages. Customers should heed this public appeal as a notice for possible power outages,” said Cahill. “This unusual request is necessary because power demand may potentially exceed available supply due to extremely cold temperatures and generation constraints.
“We are making this public appeal at the request of MISO who has made a similar request to other utilities in its footprint,” said Cahill. “We appreciate our customers following our request for conservation in an effort to keep the lights on.”
Some actions customers can take to conserve energy include:
- Delay laundry, washing dishes, and other non-essential uses of electricity until this appeal for conservation has ended.
- Wash clothes with cold water, cook foods at the lowest possible setting and refrain from opening the oven door while baking.
- Don’t allow warmed air to escape from the home.
- Lower the central thermostat to 68 degrees or lower if possible.
The City of Rayne announced it has been instructed to notify and ask customers to conserve electric power on Wednesday, Feb. 17 from 6 - 11 p.m.
Forced generation outages combined with extremely low temperatures have caused a sharp increase in demand for electric power which can result in an overload of the electrical grid. Utilities in the MISO South Region of Louisiana have been notified by the regional electric grid regulators that due to this increase in demand and loss of electric generation, all of Louisiana is experiencing a power shortage.
Some actions customers can take to conserve energy include:
- Lower the central thermostat to 68 degrees or lower if possible.
- Don’t allow warmed air to escape from the home.
- Delay laundry, washing dishes, and other non-essential uses of electricity until this appeal for conservation has ended.
- Wash clothes with cold water
- Cook foods at the lowest possible setting
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