News Talk 94.1/AM 1600 Where The Upper Cumberland Talks
TVA and Upper Cumberland Electric Membership Corporation asking residents to be mindful of energy use during the heat wave.
UCEMC CEO and General Manager Jennifer Brogdon said that the ask is not common, but not unusual. She said that when it’s as hot as this, residential and commercial buildings all crank up their AC creating an unusually large power demand.
“It creates a strain on the power system and it can create higher power bills for TVA and for Upper Cumberland and for our customers,” Brogdon said. “Because TVA may have to reach out to buy power on the market.”
Brogdon said that not only will decreasing energy use help with supply, but it will also help to lower bills. She said that each degree you raise your thermostat can save some three percent on your bills.
“It helps everybody if our residents crank their thermostats up to about 75 or even just one degree higher than they usually do,” Brogdon said. “(…) Your power bill is of course going to be a little bit higher in these hot summer months so anything that we can do to help keep those power bills lower is something we should try to do.”
