Danville Utilities is requesting that its electric customers curtail usage from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. today through Thursday because of an advisory issued by its wholesale power supplier.
Here’s what customers can do during these four-hour periods:
- Delay the use of major appliances such as washers, dryers and dishwashers.
- Set the air conditioner thermostat up a few degrees (even one degree will help) and use fans.
- Shut off lights when not needed and unplug small appliances and electric chargers (especially those with small lights).
Reducing the demand for electricity during these peak hours will save on future power supply costs and keep rates lower.
According to the advisory from American Municipal Power, the nonprofit wholesale power supplier and services provider for Danville Utilities and 134 other members in nine states, the demand for electricity across the regional power grid that serves Danville could be at its highest point of the year during these peak hours because of higher than average temperatures.
Plenty of power will be available, but these high load periods are the electric utility industry’s equivalent of rush-hour traffic. Municipal electric utilities pay added demand-based charges for an entire year based on what their communities are using during these hours. For every 1,000 kilowatts curtailed during the peak hours, Danville Utilities will save thousands toward 2022 power supply costs.
Danville Utilities provides natural gas, water, wastewater and telecommunications services in Danville and distributes electricity to approximately 42,000 customer locations in a 500-square-mile service territory covering Danville, the southern third of Pittsylvania County, and small portions of Henry and Halifax counties.