Update (12:30 p.m. Dec. 23): City Utilities has canceled an electricity conservation request upon completing repairs to a coal fired generation unit at the John Twitty Energy Center.
City Utilities spokesman Joel Alexander advises utility customers that conservation actions may still be a good idea to help reduce their utility bills and reduce the overall demand for power.
Natural gas delivery was not affected by the repair work at the power plant. Unlike Winter Storm Uri in February 2021, natural gas supplies and distribution have not been limited by cold weather.
“Despite the extreme temperatures, the supply of natural gas to our system is being delivered as it normally would be,” Alexander said. “We are not experiencing any issues with the delivery or supply.”
Original story: As below-zero temperatures linger across Springfield, City Utilities asks everyone to take small actions to reduce the peak demand for electricity and natural gas.
Peak demand, or higher-than-usual demand, can occur during a winter weather event, and can contribute to equipment breakdowns. City Utilities spokesman Joel Alexander explained the request to conserve electricity and natural gas use will help reduce stress on the utility system.
“This is due to repairs required this morning from the extreme temperature and weather conditions,” Alexander said in an email to Springfield reporters. “This is expected to be only for a few hours, but we will keep you notified of the situation.”
A transmission line issue caused City Utilities to take a turbine offline at the John Twitty Energy Center, a coal fired power plant in southern Springfield.
“We are in the process of making these repairs and putting the turbine back in service,” Alexander said. “This is not expected to take long.”
The key recommendations to conserve energy are:
- Turn down the household thermostat by 2 degrees
- Wait until later today to run a clothes washer, dryer and/or dishwasher
- Turn off any unnecessary lights and appliances
According to Springfield City Utilities, heating and cooling systems use 44 percent of the energy an average Springfield household consumes in a year.
Peak demand load in the power industry occurs at times when members of a population are using electricity at the same time. On a small scale, imagine running your household heater at 85 degrees, using every television, computer and stereo in your house, turning on all of the lights simultaneously, while charging an electric car in the garage and running a vacuum cleaner. On a larger scale, peak demands usually occur in the morning, as most of the population prepares to go to work and to school, and in the early evening, when everyone comes home for the day.
If peak demand loads exceed the amount of power, measured in megawatts, that a power grid can transmit, interruptions can occur.
