The chairman of the South Dakota Public Utilities Commission has joined power companies in asking people to reduce electric and natural gas use through Wednesday.
The Southwest Power Pool, which operates the energy grid in South Dakota, is coordinating with its members in 17 states to respond to high demand for electricity, inadequate supply of natural gas and wind-forecast uncertainty. SPP has directed its members to ask customers to reduce energy usage to help prevent the need to mandate rolling blackouts, such as are already occurring in places like Texas, Missouri and Kansas.
PUC chairman Chris Nelson says the extreme cold wave blanketing the midsection of the United States is stressing the electric grid in historic proportions. He says residential customers can help by:
- turning down thermostats to 68-degrees or lower;
- turning off and unplugging non-essential lights and appliances;
- avoiding using large appliances such as ovens, dishwashers and washing machines;
- and delaying taking showers or baths until peak demand for energy drops
Nelson says commercial customers can help by minimizing the use of electric lighting and electricity-consuming equipment as much as possible. He says some businesses may also be able to reduce their energy demand by delaying when they open or when they ramp up a shift.
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