Duke Energy updates after reports of thousands of power outages in the Carolinas
The company says it has started restoring power
Updated: 11:23 PM EST December 24, 2022
Next week. is coming all right. It’s almost Christmas, but thanks for joining us this Christmas Eve. I’m Rashad Williams. But first, let’s start with the recent power outages happening across the Carolinas. Thousands of people are in the dark without electricity since yesterday. We are told that power has been restored in many areas. Now, according to DUKE ENERGY, see here. There are now about 10,000 customers without power in North Carolina and about 300 customers without power in South Carolina. And a sharp drop from earlier today, when thousands were without power in the Palmetto State. So we talked to a woman in Greenville County whose power was out for hours today. Oh, there are three of us. We’re trying to get up and recover parts, spares, whatever, whatever. And having to charge our phones and stuff in the car. Hopefully her powers are back on. Several upstate businesses also experienced layoffs. We spoke to customers dealing with the incident while trying to do some last-minute shopping for Christmas. These shops face a lot of difficulties because they cannot even open the doors as there is electricity. And hopefully she was able to get her shopping done. But DUKE ENERGY calls this an unprecedented event of extreme cold and energy demand. In a statement, officials for DUKE ENERGY said the citation forced the company to interrupt service to about 500,000 customers to maintain the energy grid. Power is currently being restored and should be completed today. We spoke with RYAN MOSHER at DUKE ENERGY for some clarification. He says both Saturday’s outages were the result of Friday’s weather events, and service interruptions from Duke Energy, which was a demand and capacity issue for the product. As we head into this morning we have a high demand for energy. If you do not, it may damage the equipment. So if you let it go unchecked and unchecked, you create problems that don’t exist. So we have to take steps and manually remove the damage that can happen in that way. You know, people experience short, temporary power outages. I know it affects everyone, especially in this extreme cold. You are going on a holiday weekend. But sometimes it’s better to spend a few hours than a day or two, because allowing the system to continue can cause significant damage to the device. And you should know, he adds, that this could happen again in the morning if demand remains high. So it’s important to save as much power as you can. We also asked the question of how the disturbed areas were selected. And DUKE ENERGY says it’s completely random to balance energy between areas with and without power. and with extreme temperatures. DUKE ENERGY is also asking customers to voluntarily reduce electricity use. So below are some tips they gave us to help you choose a comfortable thermostat and lower it by a few degrees whenever possible. Avoid using large appliances such as dishwashers, ovens and dryers. Charge electric cars overnight. And if you have running water
Duke Energy updates after reports of thousands of power outages in the Carolinas
The company says it has started restoring power
Updated: 11:23 PM EST December 24, 2022
Duke Energy provides an update amid reports of thousands of power outages in the Carolinas. On Saturday morning, the company said it had initiated a temporary power outage amid the freezing weather. “Due to high demand and ongoing power shortages in the Southeast region, extreme cold weather forced the company to interrupt service to approximately 500,000 customers to maintain the power grid and prevent further disruptions.” Power is currently being restored and should be completed today. “This winter blast and customer demand was unprecedented in our region and the company’s recent history,” said Jason Hollifield, director of Carolinas Storm. “Like other utilities, Duke Energy took steps to protect the entire power grid — preventing damage that could mean even longer outages.” According to Duke Energy, Hollifield explained that the company has implemented systems to target priority circuits that can reduce energy demand. Best electrical system maintenance. That process stopped mid-morning on Saturday. In the statement, Duke Energy also said crews have been working to repair the outage since Friday and appreciate customers’ patience. In addition, Duke Energy urges customers to conserve energy. The company offered the following tips for people to reduce energy use: Choose the lowest comfortable thermostat setting and lower it by a few degrees whenever possible. Avoid using large appliances, including dishwashers, ovens and dryers, during periods of high demand, and shift non-essential activities such as laundry to the evening hours when electricity demand is low. Charge electric vehicles overnight. If you have an electric water heater, limit the use of hot water as much as possible.
Duke Energy provides an update amid reports of thousands of power outages in the Carolinas.
On Saturday morning, the company said it had initiated a temporary power outage amid the freezing weather.
“Due to extreme cold weather due to increased demand and ongoing power shortages in the Southeast region, the company was forced to interrupt service to approximately 500,000 customers to maintain the power grid and prevent further disruptions.”
Duke Energy said in a statement that power is currently being restored and should be completed today.
“This winter blast and customer demand was unprecedented in our region and the company’s recent history,” said Jason Hollifield, director of Carolinas Storm. “Like other utilities, Duke Energy took steps to protect the entire power grid — preventing damage that could mean even longer outages.”
According to Duke Energy, Holyfield explained that the company has systems in place to target priority circuits that can reduce energy demand to better maintain the electrical system. That process stopped mid-Saturday.
In the announcement, Duke Energy said crews will be working to repair the outage starting Friday and appreciate customers’ patience.
In addition, Duke Energy urges customers to conserve energy.
The company offered the following tips to reduce energy use:
- Choose the lowest comfortable thermostat setting and turn it down a few degrees whenever possible.
- Avoid using large appliances, including dishwashers, ovens and dryers, during periods of high demand.
- Shift non-essential activities like laundry to evening hours when electricity demand is low.
- Charge electric vehicles overnight.
- If you have an electric water heater, limit the use of hot water as much as possible.
