WOODBRIDGE, Va. – The increase in temperatures prompted a local power company to demand on Wednesday that residents decrease their use of air conditioners and household appliances.
Northern Virginia Electric Cooperative issued an emergency declaration to its customers at 1:30 p.m., after energy demand on its power grid soared. People in 13 states and in Washington receive electricity from the grid.
The utility asked residents to reduce the amount of electricity used in their homes between 1:30 and 7:30 p.m. That meant turning up the in-home thermostat to 78 degrees, and not using household appliances like the stove, oven, dishwasher or clothes dryer until after sunset.
All of NOVEC’s 46,000 load-management customers—those who voluntarily allow the utility to remotely control air compressors and water pumps at their homes—were scheduled to experience power cycles throughout the afternoon.
“Those power cycles allow us to control the demand that is put on the system,” NOVEC spokeswoman Priscilla Knight said.
NOVEC planned to remotely turn off air-conditioner compressors for 10 minutes every 30 minutes in an effort to reduce demand on the power grid. Load-management customers also were slated to see their water heater temperatures reduced to 120 degrees.
“Water heaters have the ability to keep the water warm despite the lower temperatures, unless someone has been doing a lot of laundry or using a dishwasher during the day, which we hope is not the case,” Knight said.
NOVEC has 4,700 customers in western Stafford County, 26,200 in Fairfax and 80,500 in Prince William.
The utility also serves portions of Fauquier and Loudoun counties.
This story appeared on insidenova.com.
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