Duke Energy asks customers to conserve energy

Ahead of anticipated extreme-cold weather over the next few days, Duke Energy is asking its customers to cut back temporarily on their use of electricity.

"While Duke Energy has sufficient generation resources to meet its customers' energy needs, conditions can change quickly and customers need to be prepared," Nelson Peeler, the utility's vice president of transmission operations, said in a statement Wednesday. "A little bit of conservation from each of us will help to make sure we have enough electricity for all of us."

Temperatures Wednesday night until Friday are forecast to drop significantly below freezing – with lows reaching the single digits Thursday into Friday.

Duke Energy says the most critical time to reduce electricity usage will be between 5 a.m. and 10 a.m. Thursday and Friday.

Cutting back can be as simple as unplugging charges for phones and tablets, which draw energy even when they aren't in use.

Among other energy- and cost-saving tips is leaving drapes or blinds open during the day and relying on the sun to provide energy.

Meanwhile Wednesday, Duke Energy was still working to restore power to customers hit by this week's winter storm. It expected to have all storm-related outages restored by late Wednesday evening.