PRINCE WILLIAM COUNTY, Va. -- The increase in temperatures prompted a local power company to demand Wednesday afternoon 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 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.
Prince William County officials also warned earlier that NOVEC customers in the Manassas area could lose power up to 7 p.m. And authorities suggested that those without air conditioning go to a public building or indoor shopping mall to escape the heat.
Staff writer Uriah A. Kiser can be reached at 703-530-3905.
Email
Facebook
Google
Twitter
Favorites
More
Advertisement