When it registers zero degrees outside and suddenly the power goes out, it can be heart stopping. The temperature can drop several degrees in a short time, even in homes with some of the best insulation. While there are those who may be prepared with propane heaters to take the chill off, many do not have the luxury. Tennessee Valley Authority and local electric companies, like Middle Tennessee Electric, are working hard to keep the power coming, but to take the strain off of the power grid, much of Friday it meant rolling power outages. They ceased late Friday afternoon.
Across much of the south customers have been experiencing power outages for up to 30 minutes in an attempt to lower power usage by 5%. This happened more than once during the day on Friday for some locations. Local power companies were asking customers to wait 30 minutes before calling about outages, as it may only have been a planned temporary outage. Some cities planned to have 10- to 15-minute outages every one to two and a half hours.
In a release on their Facebook page, TVA is asking both the public and businesses to reduce power usages as much as possible while still guaranteeing personal safety during these frigid temperatures. These proactive steps are being taken to help ensure that greater power interruptions are prevented.
Here are some ways that individual households can help save energy consumption:
- Turn the thermostat down to 68 degrees at night.
- Open blinds and curtains during the day to let in the sunlight and close them tightly at night and in shaded parts of the house.
- Keep air circulating by running ceiling fans backward.
- Bundle up with blankets. Bring out the down comforters. Heated blankets are okay, too.
- Turn off unnecessary devices and unplug unneeded electronics.
- Delay the use of appliances like washing machines, clothes dryers and dishwashers.
- Keep garage doors closed.
- Block any spaces where heat is getting out or cold is getting in with weather stripping, like around doors and windows. In a pinch, put a blanket or rug at the bottom of any heat leaking door cracks.
- Keep fireplace dampers closed unless they are being used.
- Set the water heater temperature at 120 degrees.
Many customers were not happy with the rolling power interruptions and would have liked to have had some warning that they would be happening.
Said one TVA customer, “I understand things happen out of your control and I am thankful for all the workers, linemen included, who are out in this mess for us. But you should be ashamed for doing this with no prior statement, no warning, and no schedule for when certain areas would go out. There are families with small children, elderly people, and people who depend on medical supplies that utilize electricity.”
Others had a different outlook on the situation.
“We don’t normally have weather like this and when we do, even at the most prepared there is always a delay because we all know things don’t always go as planned, said one NES customer. “On top of that, people forget this time of year many [power workers] are on vacation, out of town with family. So, staffing isn’t at 100%. These men and women [working to keep the energy flowing] have families and lives just like you and I do. Please be kind and patient. Grab a book and a blanket. Play board games. Start a fire [in the fireplace]. It isn’t hard to be patient or kind and remember that those working to restore your power are freezing, away from their own families and working diligently to get your power back on. They … want your power back on as quickly as you do! Say a prayer instead of grumble. It absolutely isn’t an ideal situation for anyone on either side.”
Said NES on their Facebook page, “Last night’s precipitation and high winds caused four power poles to break along with other damaged equipment and electricity lines across our service area. After working through the night, NES crews continue to make repairs to restore power to more than 2,000 customers. With the safety of our crews and customers in mind, our team is working as quickly and efficiently as possible to keep everyone safe and warm. We will not stop until power is restored to all.”
