Danville Utilities is requesting that its electric customers conserve power from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. Thursday and from 7 a.m. to 9 a.m. Friday because of a peak alert on AEP’s transmission system, which delivers electricity to Danville.
A peak alert is not a shortage of electricity; it simply means that demand on the system may be at its highest. Transmission charges for Danville and other utilities are set, in part, during these periods of high demand. With each added megawatt used, utilities are billed thousands of dollars in peaking charges.
Peak alerts are issued only when necessary. The notification is the seventh peak alert issued in 2016 and the first since the summer. Danville’s current transmission peak for this year was set on Aug. 11.
High demand is anticipated Thursday and Friday because temperatures are forecast to be in the single digits in AEP’s territory. In Danville, temperatures are expected to be as low as the mid-teens.
Peak alerts are issued in an effort to reduce peak energy demand. Customers can take simple conservation steps during the peak periods:
- lower the thermostat a degree or two
- limit the use of hot water
- avoid doing laundry or the use of the dishwasher
- shut off lights when not needed and turn off televisions, computers, radios and other electronic devices when not being used.
- unplug small appliances and electric chargers (especially those with small lights)
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.
