Power grid operator says to conserve energy in Pa., NJ, Del.
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- PJM Interconnection, the electricity grid operator that oversees 13 states - including Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware - is asking residents to conserve electricity as brutally cold temperatures reduced energy output or shut down some power plants. At the same time, there is an increased demand for power this Christmas holiday weekend.
PJM Interconnection is asking consumers to limit power between 4 a.m. December 24 and 10 a.m. December 25.
"This is extremely rare in our region," PJM Interconnection's chief communications officer Susan Buehler said. "The last time we had a situation like this was the polar vortex in January of 2014."
The need for conserving energy is coming during brutally cold temperatures.
"It would be horrible if we like lost power in this cold," John Murray, of Rittenhouse Square, said.
"Some of the power plants that we call on to make sure that we can meet demand are unable to operate in these very very cold temperatures," Buehler said. "We have increased demand, we have a holiday where people are home and using more electricity, and we have power plants that are unable to operate."
PJM Interconnection says consumers can conserve electricity by:
- Setting thermostats lower than usual if you can,
- Postponing use of major appliances like stoves, dishwashers and clothes dryers,
- Turning off lights, equipment and appliances you don't need, especially during morning peak hours.
"You just have to conserve in certain ways," Kim Zitzner, of New Jersey, said. "First, start with the heat. You don't need the heat blasting like that."
"I just make sure all of the lights are out before I leave," Riley Stover, of Center City, said. "Make sure my water is off of course before I leave, but that's about it. Just the basics stuff."
Later on Saturday, the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission chimed in with more energy saving tips:
- Keep doors and windows closed as much as possible, including garage doors.
- Close doors to unused rooms and turning down the heat in those spaces.
- Ensure air vents are not blocked in spaces you are using, to help the flow of heat.
- Close curtains, drapes and blinds at night to help keep the heat in.
PJM Interconnection is monitoring the region's power supply and says that it will take other steps if necessary to keep power flowing in the region. Those steps could include reducing voltage.
"If people can conserve electricity, we can meet the demand," Buehler said. "We also want to make sure people are prepared, in case the demand does increase, it's possible that we would need to call for some interruptions, some intermittent electrical interruptions. We don't think that's going to happen, but we want to make sure people are prepared."
The company is not asking consumers to lower their thermostats to unsafe levels.
"But when you're running it at 70 degrees because it's 4 degrees outside, it may be comfortable inside, but that's using maximum electricity," Buehler said. "We don't want people's pipes to freeze of course, but we are asking people to set their thermostats lower than they normally would."
PJM Interconnection directs the operation of the power transmission grid in Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, New Jersey, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia and the District of Columbia.
The announcement came after a winter storm knocked out power for a few thousand residents in the region. While power had been restored to most in our region Saturday, as of 9 a.m. there were still almost 6,000 FirstEnergy customers without power in Berks County and over 1,200 in Northampton County.
The electricity operator says there's no way to know if an outage will happen for sure.
But, for Stover this is all seemed too familiar. She now lives in Philly after moving from Texas where she went through a statewide power outage in 2021.
"I definitely don't want to go through that experience again," Stover said, "so I will definitely now keep an eye out on what they're saying and stuff."
"Some conservation can go a long way," Buehler said.
An energy-saving request that could keep many homes warm this holiday weekend.
PECO had about 5,000 customers without power and PPL had almost 7,000, according to trackers on their websites.
If you don't have power in this dangerous cold, a list of warming centers is available on PPL's website.
