NC sets record for power use during cold snap

Duke Energy Progress officials said customers set a record for winter power use on Thursday, when temperatures plunged into the teens overnight.

Posted 8:37 p.m. Jan 9, 2015 — Updated 8:37 p.m. Jan 9, 2015

RALEIGH, N.C. — Duke Energy Progress officials said North Carolina customers set a record for winter power use on Thursday, when temperatures plunged into the teens overnight.

By 8 a.m. Thursday, a total of 14,473 megawatt-hours of electricity was recorded by the utility company. The number surpassed the previous record of 14,190 megawatt-hours set on Jan. 7, 2014 during the so-called polar vortex.

In anticipation of an energy spike because of frigid temperatures, Duke Energy Progress earlier this week had asked consumers to conserve electricity by lowering their thermostats and delaying household chores such as using dishwashers and laundry machines.

During the weather event, the company also used additional units that generate power only during peak times and reduced voltage by a very small amount to lessen demand on the power grid.

“While warmer temperatures in some areas lessened overall energy demand this morning, our system performed well during this event,” Nelson Peeler, vice president for transmission systems operations for Duke Energy Progress, said in a statement Friday. “In addition, our customer’s efforts to reduce their energy usage and make minor changes to their daily routine certainly helped.”

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