Duke Energy has asked its customers in North Carolina and South Carolina to voluntarily reduce their electricity use on the morning of Monday, February 2. The request comes as extremely low temperatures—between 10 and 20 degrees below normal—are causing unusually high energy demand across the East Coast, including the Carolinas.
The company is encouraging customers to take specific steps between 4 a.m. and 10 a.m. These include lowering thermostats to the lowest comfortable setting, avoiding the use of large appliances such as washers, dryers, and dishwashers during those hours, turning off unnecessary devices and lights, and charging electric vehicles at midday when demand is lower.
“Sabemos que reducir el consumo eléctrico es un inconveniente, pero hace una gran diferencia,” said Gerald Wilson, vice president of grid operations at Duke Energy. “Estamos tomando todas las medidas necesarias para satisfacer las necesidades energéticas de nuestros clientes, lo que incluye maximizar nuestra capacidad de generación y compra de energÃa y colaborar con grandes clientes comerciales e industriales que cuentan con programas de respuesta a la demanda. Agradecemos la cooperación, paciencia y comprensión de nuestros clientes mientras trabajamos para mantener un servicio confiable en todo Carolina del Norte y del Sur.”
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 customers across six states: North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida, Indiana, Ohio, and Kentucky. Its natural gas businesses provide service to approximately 1.7 million customers in five states.
The company is investing in upgrades to its electrical grid and expanding cleaner energy sources such as natural gas, nuclear power, renewables, and energy storage.
More information can be found at duke-energy.com or through Duke Energy’s social media channels.
