By WILL PERKINS
Glasgow News 1
With hot temperatures comes an increase in power demands as more people use electricity in an attempt to stay cool.
Barren County is currently in a heat advisory, according to the National Weather Service, with heat index values between 102 and 107 degrees. Due to this, and because vast swaths of the U.S. are under similar advisories or extreme heat warnings, the Tennessee Valley Authority announced that it expects power demands to peak at 33,000 megawatts this week, which is about 2,000 megawatts higher than the highest demand last summer.
The authority is the electricity provider for Glasgow’s Electric Plant Board.
In addition to this peak announcement, the authority has released the following tips to reduce energy bills:
- Turn ceiling fans on, circulating counterclockwise, to help cool a room, but “be sure you turn it off when leaving the room.”
- If you have a grill, consider cooking meals outside “to prevent your stove and oven from heating your home.”
- Try to use clothes dryers or other large appliances during nighttime hours, “as it will allow your HVAC system a better opportunity to keep up” with energy demands.
- Be sure to clean or replace HVAC filters “to allow it to operate more efficiently.”
- “For each degree a thermostat is turned up, it can save as much as 3 percent on a power bill.”
Glasgow News 1 Journalist Michael Crimmins contributed to this reporting.
