Wednesday, June 15, is projected to be the hottest day, so far, this year. It’s projected that Bowling Green’s highest electric usage for 2022 will occur as a result. Bowling Green is calling for a Community Energy Savings Day and electric customers are being asked to conserve power.
Bowling Green officials said nothing is wrong with the electric grid – they’re just trying to take every avenue to reduce costs for customers.
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 using less energy between the hours of 2 and 6 p.m. If residents use less energy during these times of peak demand, demand can be spread more evenly on the network, reducing the cost of providing energy and reducing 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.
Again, there’s plenty of power available and the grid is in good shape, but if electric customers can conserve during these peak hours, the city can save on transmission and capacity costs in the future.
As a municipal electric system, a portion of the City of Bowling Green electric rates are the result of what is known as demand peaks, which are based on community-wide electric demand from the hottest/coldest days of the year. By lowering electric usage on these days, customers can help to keep electric rates lower in the future.
