(Submitted by City of Bowling Green)
Community Energy Savings Days are called for when demand for electricity is expected to be high. This can occur during very hot or very cold weather, when homes and businesses are using high amounts of electricity at the same time.
When a Community Energy Savings Day is called, residents can help by simply using less energy between the hours of 2 p.m. and 6 p.m. If residents use less energy during these times of peak demand, we can spread demand more evenly on the network, reduce the cost of providing energy and reduce the amount of greenhouse gases generated.
Participating in a Community Energy Savings Day is easy. Residents can take simple conservation steps such as: shutting off lights when not needed; unplugging small appliances and electric chargers (especially those with small lights); raising the air conditioner thermostat a degree or two; closing curtains, drapes and blinds; doing laundry and other household chores requiring electricity during hours other than 2 to 6 p.m.; and turning off televisions, computers, gaming consoles, and other electronic devices when not being used.
There’s plenty of power available and the grid is in good shape, but if we can conserve during these peak hours, the city can save on transmission and capacity costs in the future. Bowling Green residents are requested to voluntarily lower electricity usage during the peak period from 2 to 6 p.m. over the course of the next few days when extreme high temperatures have been forecasted.
As a municipal electric system, owned by its citizens and customers, it is contingent upon those same citizens and customers to keep the electric rates for themselves and all other customers of Bowling Green Municipal Utilities as low as possible. Our citizens and customers have the opportunity to make a difference in their system and their rates by conserving energy during the periods stated for the upcoming days. As the forecast dictates, we will most likely be asking our citizens and customers to again conserve energy at additional times this summer.
