Danville Utilities is asking customers to curtail energy usage on Tuesday through Thursday from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. Nothing is wrong with the electric grid and plenty of power will be available, but reducing the demand for electricity during these peak hours could save on future power supply costs.
Here’s what customers can do during this period:
• Use less air conditioning by setting the thermostat up 2+ degrees (even one degree will help) and using fans.
• Do not operate major appliances such as washers, dryers and dishwashers.
• Pull the shades on windows.
• Shut off lights when not needed and unplug small appliances and electric chargers (especially those with small lights).
According to an advisory from American Municipal Power, the nonprofit wholesale power supplier and services provider for Danville Utilities and 134 other members in nine states, the demand for electricity across the regional power grid during these hours could be at its highest point of the year because of higher-than-average temperatures.
There is nothing wrong with the power grid and there will be no shortage of electricity, but high load periods are the electric utility industry’s equivalent of rush-hour traffic. Electric utilities pay added demand-based charges for an entire year based on what their communities are using during high load periods. For every 1,000 kilowatts curtailed during the peak hours, Danville Utilities will save thousands toward 2022 power supply costs that will help keep electric rates stable and help avoid future rate increases.
Danville Utilities provides natural gas, water, wastewater, and telecommunications services in Danville and distributes electricity to approximately 42,000 customer locations in a 500-square-mile service territory covering Danville, the southern third of Pittsylvania County, and small portions of Henry and Halifax counties.