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The Heat Watch was declared because Monday’s and Tuesday’s hot weather is expected to drive air conditioning use up higher than normal on both days. That increase is predicted to push demand for electricity on the O&R system past 1,300 megawatts, triggering a Heat Watch.
Monday’s O&R electricity demand is expected to peak at 1,391 megawatts. Tuesday’s O&R electricity demand is predicted to peak at 1,371 megawatts. O&R’s all-time electric demand record is 1,617 megawatts which was set on August 2, 2006.
The Heat Watch advisory means that O&R electric distribution system engineers will be closely monitoring the loads on distribution circuits, transformer banks and other key system components to detect any heat-related issues so any concerns can be addressed immediately. Field crews will be at the ready to respond to any electric system problems as well.
O&R’s top, hot-weather energy tip is a simple one: turn down or turn off air conditioning in empty homes while you are away or at work.
O&R’s message to use electricity wisely aims to:
- Diminish electric system demand and help support service reliability. Every bit of decreased demand helps to keep the system running at an optimal level.
- Help control individual customer electric costs. Customer electric use drives bills. The more you use, the more you pay.
O&R advises its customers to take steps through this hot weather period to most efficiently use electricity.
Here are some other tips that will help you weather the heat during these hot days:
- Set your air conditioner to the highest comfortable temperature. Every degree you lower the thermostat drives your bill up by 6 percent.
- Adjust your air conditioner’s fan to a low setting. It’ll take longer for the air conditioner to cool your home, but your unit will bring in steamy air at a slower rate and make you feel more comfortable.
- Make sure all doors and windows in your home are closed while the air conditioning is running. You don’t want to pay to air condition the outdoors.
- Plan cooking, baking or other household activities that produce heat and humidity for the cooler times of the day and night.
- As the sun moves from east to west during the day, pull your curtains and shades on windows to block out the heat.
- In the refrigerator, cover liquid items. They give off humidity that forces the refrigerator to use more energy.
- Also in the refrigerator, place the most used items in one place so that the door will be open for a shorter period of time.
Customers can report outages and check service restoration status through:
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