Gulf Power Sets Near Record Demand, Experiences Outages

January 12, 2010

A prolonged cold spell has placed near record demand on Gulf Power’s electric system as customers run heating systems overtime to stay warm.

Gulf Power customers’ energy demand reached 2,553 megawatts of power early Monday, which neared the company’s all-time peak demand of 2,634 megawatts set in August, 2007. Gulf Power has sufficient generation to meet the demand, but cold weather can cause equipment problems on the electrical system.

gptruck.jpgFrom Bay County to Escambia County, Gulf Power line crews responded in freezing temperatures to restore power outages Monday. A total of about 19,000 customers — less than one-half of one percent of Gulf Power’s total customers — were impacted by the outages.

“We work hard throughout the year, with additional preparation and planning to get us through this record demand,” said Sandy Sims, Gulf Power Public Affairs manager. “Our goal is to maintain our reliability even during these periods of high demand, and our employees work as safely and quickly as possible through the weather to serve our customers. We understand that in these drastic weather conditions, every outage is a potentially serious situation.”

In case of isolated outages, crews restore electricity systematically to ensure that the load stabilizes. Gulf Power recommends that customers follow these guidelines to speed restoration:

  • If you lose power in your home, turn off the electric heating system. Heating systems in emergency heat mode can demand two to three times as much current as normal operations in heat pumps.
  • Once power is restored, wait about 10 to 15 minutes before turning on your heating system, allowing the electricity load to stabilize.
  • Do not connect portable generators to your household electrical wiring. This can cause serious injury to you and to Gulf Power employees who are restoring electricity. Instead, plug appliances into the generator. Never use a generator in enclosed or partially-enclosed spaces because of the risk of carbon monoxide poisoning.

Peak demand is an indicator of how much electricity customers are demanding during any one-hour period. Gulf Power plans ahead by measuring demand in order to have sufficient generating capacity to meet the heaviest loads of the year.

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Written by William Reynolds · Filed Under News