Duke Energy asks customers to use less electricity as reports of outages impact Florida

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla — As Floridians weather cold temperatures, Duke Energy, the investor-owned utility company, is asking its customers across the state to “voluntarily reduce their energy” use from 5-9 a.m. on Monday.

Throughout Sunday, Duke Energy sent communications to customers urging the public to limit their use in hopes that it would lessen energy demand on the power grid.

“This is due to extremely cold temperatures that are driving unusually high demand for electricity across the southeast. It is meant to help protect the grid and keep electricity flowing for as many customers as possible,” a Duke Energy spokesperson said.

Outages have already been reported in the state, according to Duke’s outage map, which shows that 368 customers have been affected in the Panhandle, Tampa Bay and Orlando areas. As of 8:30 p.m., Duke Energy says that there are 30 active power outages.

The utility company says that customers can reduce energy consumption by:

Setting the thermostat to the lowest comfortable setting

Avoiding the use of appliances, such as washing machines, dryers or dishwashers during high-demand hours

Turn off unnecessary devices, unused plug-ins and lights

If you own an electric vehicle, charge around midday, when demand is expected to be lower

“We know power is an essential part of our customers’ everyday lives, and we recognize that reducing electricity usage isn’t an easy ask,” Duke Energy Florida President Melissa Seixas said.

Duke Energy Florida “owns 12,300 megawatts of energy capacity, supplying electricity to 2 million residential, commercial and industrial customers across a 13,000-square-mile service area in Florida.”