Appalachian Electric Fares Well in Winter Blast

The local area has weathered the coldest temperatures of the season, as an arctic blast of extremely cold air washed across the region. In response to the frigid temperatures, Tennessee Valley Authority requested a voluntary reduction in power usage. Mitch Cain, Director of Member Services for Appalachian Electric Cooperative, stated late Friday afternoon that the service area had come through the arctic blast exceptionally well. Cain said that despite near record usage, the service area, with the exception of a small and brief interruption in Grainger County that impacted around 20 service members, had maintained power. Crews were available around the clock to answer any outages but preemptive maintenance and members answering the call for reduction resulted few issues for those crews to deal with during the recent cold snap. Cain said that the height of the load came on Thursday and registered 290, which was short of the 320+ that registered during the polar vortex of 2014. However, Thursday’s load was significant, according to Cain, because prior to 2014, the peak was 288. Interestingly, the two record busting weather events happened in the same week in January, one year apart.

Rolling black outs, where there is not enough energy to meet the needs and the available energy is systematically shared in controlled outages, and brown outs, where there is not enough power to sustain voltage and the power is dimmed, are not issues in the region because TVA contracts to purchase energy on the open market, if the need exists. However, calls for reductions keep usage down, as well as costs. Cain stated that Appalachian Electric joined their service membership in making those voluntary reductions.

Extreme cold is not the only weather issue that the crews at Appalachian Electric deal with in an effort to keep the power on in the service area. Soaking rains often uproot trees when the ground becomes saturated, as well as snow, high winds and lightning. And, of course, ice is a big problem for the crews. Though the extreme cold is expected to move out shortly, it is still early in winter 2015. To maintain safety in the upcoming months, Cain cautions using care with space heaters. Check the wiring, never put them close to something combustible, and don’t create a tripping hazard with cords under rugs. Generators are a good tool in the event of a power outage, but they should be used outdoors and in a ventilated area. As always when dealing with power issues, safety comes first and when in doubt, ask a professional.

Appalachian Electric Cooperative has prepared for a colder than normal winter 2015, due to in-house and external forecasts. As is usual in the local region, precipitation amounts are still up in the air. However, should foul weather hit the area, crews will be on the road and up the poles keeping lights shining bright.