Duke Energy apologizes for misleading message about conserving energy that sparked fears over rolling blackouts
Duke Energy is apologizing for a message sent out to thousands of customers that left many people thinking there could be rolling blackouts on Friday morning due to cold temperatures.
The message – some received via email and others by text message – encouraged residents to reduce their electricity consumption between 6 a.m. and 9 a.m. on Friday to help conserve energy due to heightened demand during the freezing cold.
Some customers who received the message said it was concerning and confusing – many of them recalling blackouts that left more than 500,000 people without power over Christmas weekend in 2022.
On Friday morning, Duke Energy worked to clear up that confusion, and said there are no reliability issues expected.
WRAL News spoke with Duke Energy’s spokesperson, Jeff Brooks, who said Thursday's message was their way of notifying customers about higher energy demand. More people will be using energy today - especially between 6 and 9 a.m. If you can save energy, great – but as far as blackout concerns, Brooks said customers shouldn’t worry.
In an official statement, Duke Energy clarified, "The purpose is to inform customers about an expected surge in demand. We are taking measures to safeguard the grid's reliability, and this serves as an opportunity for customers to be mindful that this time frame experiences peak usage. Any assistance from customers during this period is greatly appreciated."
"Sorry for any confusion that the wording of that notification caused. We do not have any concerns about reliability tomorrow at this point. We are going to evaluate the wording used to improve any future cold-weather energy saving communications to customers," said Jeff Brooks, Duke Energy grid specialist, on X (formerly known as Twitter).
