Utility companies asking consumers to conserve

Utility companies are asking consumers to conserve as much energy as possible during this winter storm.

A large number of outages is not being reported at this time, but the demand being placed on utility companies could interrupt services in some areas.

The Electric Cooperatives of Arkansas, Entergy and CenterPoint Energy are all asking members to voluntarily limit use of utility service immediately and continuing until further notice in order to ensure that service is not interrupted.

“Electric Cooperatives of Arkansas members are urged to reduce the use of electrical requirements by limiting use of non-essential electricity and appliances, especially electric water heaters, clothes dryers and dishwashers, and to turn heating thermostats to lower settings,” said Rob Roedel, spokesman for Electric Cooperatives of Arkansas, in a press release. “Due to the extremely cold weather and the unusually high requirement for electricity, electric cooperatives and other electric utilities across Arkansas and surrounding states have reached a point where electricity demand has nearly exceeded the capacity.”

The cooperative emphasized that voluntary cooperation is essential. If voluntary reductions are not sufficient to maintain continuity of service, it may be necessary to begin interruption

of electric service to specific areas for limited time periods. It is not presently anticipated that this type of rotating curtailments will be necessary, according to the press release.

Cooperative representatives are also directly contacting large and commercial users asking their cooperation as well.

“The current load forecasts

are approaching an all-time winter peak, even greater than those experienced during the polar vortex of January 2019,” said Michael Considine, vice president of customer service. “This high demand for electricity poses unique obstacles when crews work to restore electricity when the power goes out.”

Colder than normal temperatures during the early morning and overnight hours can prompt a large number of customers to increase the heat used in their homes and therefore the demand, company officials said, which can cause voltage variations and repeated power disruptions. If customers lose electricity, they can help with restore times by turning off major appliances and heating units. Once power is restored, customers should gradually power on appliances and heating systems to prevent a high level of instantaneous demand.

Entergy Arkansas also has procedures it must follow to prevent further damage to weather-ravaged equipment, which can affect when in the process a customer will be restored. “Rather than simply energizing an entire power line all at once,” Considine said, “we must bring customers back online one section at a time to avoid damage to our system and possibly cause additional outages.”

The extremely cold temperatures for the service area are raising the potential for generation and transmission challenges for Entergy’s operating companies and its neighboring utilities.

CenterPoint Energy is also asking customers to conserve the amount of natural gas consumed during the current winter weather event. Additional demands on energy sources due to extreme cold weather could cause disruptions to customers in affected areas. Large amounts of winter precipitation continued to fall throughout the region, and frigid temperatures will continue through the week.

Consumption of natural gas can be reduced by lowering thermostats at night. Thermostat settings are recommended to be set between 60-65 degrees during the day when at home – and by lowering the setting an additional 5-10 degrees when away from home. Consumers can also lower the temperature of hot water heaters as well as limit the consumption of hot water. During daylight hours, consumers are encouraged to open blinds and shades to take advantage of the sun’s natural heat.

Arkansans can also reduce their energy footprint within their homes by reducing the number of rooms they use during prolonged cold weather events. Select several rooms to use during winter weather events and close doors to rooms that are not being used in an effort to reduce heating efforts to other parts of the home. It’s a good idea to have a few extra layers of clothing, blankets, water and other preparedness items readily available in the rooms where household members will spend time.

“Utilities are asking their customers for help in conserving the available natural gas supply during this winter weather event,” said Arkansas Division of Emergency Management Director A.J. Gary. “Natural gas continues to be a reliable source of energy for Arkansans, however these are unusual circumstances and the call for conservation this week is one that will help the utilities while they work to keep wellheads functioning.”

Temperatures are expected to remain low for the next several days. An additional winter weather storm is expected to impact Arkansas later this week. Taking steps now to reduce the strain on energy sources will help Arkansans prepare for the next round of winter weather.

A few Woodruff Electric customers were without power this morning. According to Anna Howton, with Woodruff, about 110 members were without power between Wynne and Fair Oaks, north of Highway 64.

“Throughout the weekend we had a few groups of members without power for a short period of time and some isolated outages as well,” said Howton. “Woodruff Electric has not seen any substantial outages that would cause a large group of members to be without power at any given time. Our crews are all on standby and ready to restore power as quickly and safely as possible if the need arises.

Entergy reported about 1,600 customers remained without power Sunday evening after about 7,000 were disrupted earlier in the day as winter weather blew across the state. Forecasts call for even more extreme temperatures, sleet, and snow this week, with an unprecedented demand for electricity likely.

“We ask you to be particularly mindful of your energy use during this extreme cold to help reduce the strain on the electric system by practicing safe energy conservation efforts,” Considine said.