Frigid temps pose challenge to utilities
Subzero temperatures, minus 15 to 20 wind chills mean energy-use spike.
Demand for electricity and natural gas is expected to spike over the next few days as area consumers turn up their thermostats to ward off the bitter cold temperatures to follow Tuesday’s snowfall.
The latest arctic cold snap arrived exactly one year after the January 2014 “polar vortex,” when several days of dangerously cold temperatures broke peak winter electric use records across the
PJM Interconnection power grid that supplies 13 states, including Ohio.
Ohio utility companies say they are prepared to meet the challenge of the subzero temperatures forecast for much of the state this week.
“The bitter cold will force furnaces to work harder and customers will increase their natural gas usage, but Vectren is prepared to serve customers 24hours a day,” said Natalie Hedde, a spokeswoman for natural gas delivery company Vectren Corp.
Columbia Gas of Ohio projects customers will use about 35 percent more natural gas today, when the forecast high is 7 degrees, compared to a typical January day, with an average daily temperature of 26 degrees.
However, the market price for natural gas is down 11 cents per Ccf (100 cubic feet) compared to the same period last year, said Shanelle HinkleMoore, a Columbia Gas spokeswoman. The Columbus-based company is Ohio’s largest natural gas utility, serving about 1.4 million residential, commercial and industrial customers.
Dayton Power & Light projects a 12 to 15 percent increase in electricity consumption based on the forecast drop in temperatures, which the company is prepared to meet, said spokeswoman Mary Ann Kabel.
Kabel said the region has been “very fortunate” this winter, with Tuesday’s snowfall being the first significant storm of the season. In contrast, last January’s polar vortex was an “anomaly of a storm” that occurs once every two decades, she said.
Last year on Jan. 7, the temperature was minus 9 and the high was 2 degrees.
Duke Energy set an Ohio-Kentucky winter energy usage peak with 5,105 megawatt hours in the 5 p.m. hour on Jan. 6, 2014, said Sally Thelen, a company spokeswoman.
“It’s a very similar weather pattern a year later,” Thelen said.
None of the region’s utilities reported weatherrelated outages on Tuesday.
Snow will remain on the ground as frigid temperatures stick around through the end of the week.
Temperatures will start off in the single digits this morning and are not expected to make it into the teens throughout the day. Snow flurries are possible, and windy, blustery conditions may cause drifting across roadways, according to Storm Center 7 Meteorologist Carrieann Marit.
“The cold temperatures will almost create an icy film across the snow, but that could help increase winds and actually blow the snow,” Marit said. “We could see some flurries Wednesday afternoon, maybe enough for a dusting.”
Thursday morning will be minus 5 degrees with wind chills of 15 to 20 degrees below zero — the coldest the region has been since last February.
“We are looking at dangerously cold temperatures Thursday,” Marit said. “Once you hit air temperatures below zero, hypothermia sets in pretty quickly.”
It also takes only 30 minutes for frostbite to set in on exposed skin in temperatures below zero, Marit said.
Skies will be clear and conditions will be still, but Marit urged people to cover exposed skin and limit time outdoors.
Friday will start out around 11 degrees in the morning with a high of 23 and a chance of flurries in the afternoon. The weekend is not expected to warm up, with temperatures still forecast for highs in the 20s, but no snow accumulation is anticipated through the end of the week.
The icy temperatures may cause additional problems on the road as snow blows and then refreezes.
The snow that fell Tuesday was not wet and is easy to remove from roadways, but this also means that it can easily blow back onto roadways, Clark County engineer Johnathan Burr said.