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08-08-2007, 09:06 PM
Raleigh — With temperatures forecast to reach the triple digits, Gov. Mike Easley on Wednesday urged North Carolina residents to set their thermostats between 78 and 80 degrees in an effort to conserve energy.
"If every customer will adjust the thermostat up to two degrees, it will help ensure that we do not have any blackouts anywhere across the state," Easley said.
The governor also ordered state agencies to adjust thermostats in nearly all state buildings as power companies experience record demand for electricity.
North Carolina Electric Cooperatives, a network that services 2.5 million customers in mostly rural areas of the state, asked customers to turn off unnecessary electronics and to use electricity and air conditioning sparingly. It expected to break a record set in January 2005.
"With more people and higher heat - we have the formula for high demand," said Jane Pritchard, speaking for the cooperatives. "We're trying to be prudent."
Progress Energy also expected a record-breaking day for demand and asked its 1.2 million North Carolina customers to reduce consumption to help ease the strain, said company spokeswoman Tanya Evans. Progress Energy set its previous record in July 2005.
Duke Energy did not ask customers for conservation, but suggested that people monitor their usage. Spokeswoman Paige Sheehan said the company would not know until Thursday if it had hit record usage but said the Charlotte-based utility neared its July 2005 usage record Tuesday.
"We're meeting the power demand, and we've got the adequate supply," Sheehan said. "But any conservation that people can realize certainly betters our situation.
Duke provides service to 1.8 million retail customers in North Carolina and is the largest electricity supplier in North Carolina and South Carolina. Raleigh-based Progress serves a total of 3.1 million customers in North Carolina, South Carolina and Florida.
Record demand also was a possibility for Richmond, Va.-based Dominion Power, which asked its 2 million customers in Virginia and northeastern North Carolina "to alleviate excess demand on the grid," said spokesman David Botkins.
The National Weather Service put more than two-thirds of North Carolina under a heat warning or heat advisory Wednesday, and forecasters expected temperatures to break 100 degrees both Wednesday and Thursday.
The heat index, or how the air feels because of the combination of heat and humidity, was expected to exceed 110 degrees.
All the utilities said they should be able to manage the spike in usage
"If every customer will adjust the thermostat up to two degrees, it will help ensure that we do not have any blackouts anywhere across the state," Easley said.
The governor also ordered state agencies to adjust thermostats in nearly all state buildings as power companies experience record demand for electricity.
North Carolina Electric Cooperatives, a network that services 2.5 million customers in mostly rural areas of the state, asked customers to turn off unnecessary electronics and to use electricity and air conditioning sparingly. It expected to break a record set in January 2005.
"With more people and higher heat - we have the formula for high demand," said Jane Pritchard, speaking for the cooperatives. "We're trying to be prudent."
Progress Energy also expected a record-breaking day for demand and asked its 1.2 million North Carolina customers to reduce consumption to help ease the strain, said company spokeswoman Tanya Evans. Progress Energy set its previous record in July 2005.
Duke Energy did not ask customers for conservation, but suggested that people monitor their usage. Spokeswoman Paige Sheehan said the company would not know until Thursday if it had hit record usage but said the Charlotte-based utility neared its July 2005 usage record Tuesday.
"We're meeting the power demand, and we've got the adequate supply," Sheehan said. "But any conservation that people can realize certainly betters our situation.
Duke provides service to 1.8 million retail customers in North Carolina and is the largest electricity supplier in North Carolina and South Carolina. Raleigh-based Progress serves a total of 3.1 million customers in North Carolina, South Carolina and Florida.
Record demand also was a possibility for Richmond, Va.-based Dominion Power, which asked its 2 million customers in Virginia and northeastern North Carolina "to alleviate excess demand on the grid," said spokesman David Botkins.
The National Weather Service put more than two-thirds of North Carolina under a heat warning or heat advisory Wednesday, and forecasters expected temperatures to break 100 degrees both Wednesday and Thursday.
The heat index, or how the air feels because of the combination of heat and humidity, was expected to exceed 110 degrees.
All the utilities said they should be able to manage the spike in usage