Utilities Companies Preparing To Tackle Power Outages During Extreme Heat
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PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- Many people throughout the area experienced intermittent power outages over the weekend, and it's something local utility companies are preparing to tackle.
One of the hottest days of the year was one to forget for residents and businesses in Pine Township.
Many were hit with a series of brief but annoying power outages throughout the day over the weekend.
Gary Rogel had a total of 14 outages, where the power would go out, come back in a few minutes, then go out again.
"It was horrible, but you got to deal with it," Rogel said. "I don't know why. We tried to call, but when you call, the cell towers go out."
The same thing happened at the Barrel Junction restaurant.
Employee Chase Maslanka says the power went out about 11 times, forcing the business to close a few hours early.
"The longest it was out was only about four or five minutes, but it was causing a lot of problems. All the equipment kept shutting down, tripping breakers. I had to keep starting over again. We had a lot of customers in there," Maslanka said.
Duquesne Light says it is not experiencing a brown-out, which is an intentional dip in power, and that some of the outages were related to specific incidents, but the extreme heat can put too much pressure on the utility's power grid.
Dr. Gregory Reed, with the University of Pittsburgh, says the system never gets a chance to cool down on very hot days and nights.
"As the days go on, more and more air conditioners are coming online and the load demand for electricity continues to increase," he said.
Reed says local utilities have made major investments on upgrading the system. He advises consumers to conserve by turning off non-essential appliances, turn your air conditioner up to 78 degrees, replace filters and use ceiling fans.