Louisville Gas and Electric Company, along with Kentucky Utilities Company, announced Friday night that — due to extreme cold — pressures on the regional electricity grid are resulting in scattered power outages.
The company is asking for customers’ assistance in reducing energy consumption.
As such, and according to a release, they are performing “brief service interruptions in intervals across [their service territories].” And while outage durations will vary, the target is 30 minutes.
In these conservation measures, customers are being asked to try any of the following to limit the need for rolling blackouts:
— Adjust thermostats to lowest comfortable settings, and if gone for more than four hours from the home, keep the thermostat even lower than normal.
— Reduce reliance on multiple heating sources.
— Wear extra layers, such as sweatshirts and sweaters, while indoors.
— Add extra blankets to the bed.
— Close fireplace dampers and doors when not in use, unless a gas fireplace is installed.
— Turn off all unnecessary lights, including holiday lights and appliances.
— Use draft stoppers for windows and doors to trap indoor heat.
— Run dishwashers, dryers and washing machines only when full loads can be complete.
— Open curtains, drapes and blinds during the daytime, to let the sun’s natural heat into the home; then, close them at night to retain said heat.
— Keep furniture and drapes away from air registers.
— Use microwave ovens, or a slow cooker, to prepare cold meals. Microwaves use half the power of a conventional oven, and cook frozen foods in a quarter amount of time.
