Electricity Usage Reaches Winter High; How To Avoid Prolific Heating Bill

WOAY-TV (Oak Hill, WV): The Mid-Atlantic has reached a milestone for megawatts consumed during this cold blast.

The regional transmission organization that regulates wholesale electricity in the Mid-Atlantic (PJM) reached in excess of 140,000 megawatts at 8:30 a.m. this morning. This ranks as the third highest winter load day on record. The cold blast is not finished yet and the load on the system will likely reach the highest since PJM has been keeping records.

Few power outages were noted since energy meteorologists communicated to utility companies in the Mid-Atlantic last week the increased load factor on the system due to the incoming Arctic blast.

California is seeing a handful of power outages thanks to a Santa Ana wind event that is having a bearing on the power grid. Additionally, a surge in blackouts have been observed in southern Texas where it’s colder than average but not in the line of fire of the Deep South winter storm.

The use of space heaters is likely responsible for the outages in southern Texas. Space heaters are less energy efficient and if a large population in a region is using them, it can take a toll on transformers.

So, this is a friendly reminder that space heaters will cause a spike in your electric bill and they are a fire danger, so remember to turn them off before going to bed or leaving the house.

You can help save energy costs by opening blinds and curtains during the day and closing them at night.

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