Call for conservation! Vermonters to reduce electricity use Wednesday from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 20, 2022

Contact: Julia Leopold, jleopold@vppsa.com, (802) 884-4488

Waterbury Center, VT — Temperatures are sizzling across New England, which has many seeking the cool relief from fans, air conditioners, and heat pumps. But when we collectively crank up the AC, the electric grid gets stressed.

“On a typical day, Vermonters get electricity from renewables like hydroelectric facilities, solar arrays, and a mix of other resources,” said Vermont Public Power Supply Authority (VPPSA) Director of Public Affairs, Julia Leopold. “When electric demand increases, more generators are fired on to meet our needs.”

These generators run on natural gas and oil, emitting greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. On top of contributing to climate change, a spike in electric use can also put a drain on your wallet.

“Vermont utilities pay a fee based on the one hour within a year when energy use is the highest. That fee is included in the energy charge on electric bills. The more we can work together to conserve energy during electric peaks, the lower that fee will be,” said Leopold.

An electric peak is expected Wednesday, July 20, 2022 from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. So what can be done to save energy? VPPSA has these tips:

  • Avoid running major appliances like the dishwasher or clothing dryer
  • Use a toaster oven instead of an electric oven or grill outside
  • If you have an air conditioner or heat pump, set it 2-3° warmer
  • If you have an electric water heater, save your shower and laundry for later
  • Turn the lights off when you’re not in the room

###

About VPPSA
Vermont Public Power Supply Authority provides municipal electric utility members with a broad spectrum of services and solutions, including regulatory assistance, financial planning, and power supply. VPPSA members include Barton Village, Village of Enosburg Falls, Hardwick Electric Department, Village of Jacksonville Electric Company, Village of Johnson Electric Department, Ludlow Electric Light Department, Lyndonville Electric Department, Morrisville Water & Light Department, Town of Northfield Electric Department, Village of Orleans, and Swanton Village Electric Department. For more information, visit www.vppsa.com

Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons/Public domain

12 thoughts on “Call for conservation! Vermonters to reduce electricity use Wednesday from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m.

  1. It would be so easy to stop being stupid and make a deal with HQ for some of their hydro power.
    It’s already there, and it emits no CO2, not that there’s anything wrong with that.
    The big picture is: the pigressives in power (pips) do NOT intend to solve any problems.

    The left live in the negative reality dimension, something that used to be like an imaginary number, but appears as reality to people who watch too much tv and take bad drugs.

  2. what a wonderful idea ! shut everything off for 4 hours and save .004 cents per hour on future electricity bills !!! I’m going all out this winter, shutting down my power, to really save big, no more chain saw, I’ll use tin shears and cut up some of these old tires we got round here for the wood stove,,,,yup, we got it covered. NOT,,,,,the grid,,,will NEVER be able to handle the pipe dreams coming out of them liberal minds,,,,what a joke

  3. A clean burning Thorium Nuke plant would alleviate the need of shutting off
    your AC and putting more blow and glow generation all over the state… which
    only enriches China…but when we’re running on progressive rules we’re
    running on stupid..

  4. I’m a former power plant operator. I’d love to see an overload that causes a backout for a few days. The liberals need a taste of reality that personally shows them wind and solar can’t power the USA.

  5. “These generators run on natural gas and oil, emitting greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. On top of contributing to climate change, a spike in electric use can also put a drain on your wallet.” Well, if Vermonters are dumb enough to believe that climate garbage that is driving this ,then enjoy the heat. I can’t wait for winter to set in and see how you all fare with the electric useage. Should be interesting.

  6. Also please don’t charge your overpriced EV Tesla’s either. Those things kill the grid.

    • A normal household charging one electric vehicle overnight uses 4 times the electricity of a house without an EV. Now, think about that if we all have electric vehicles charging at night on a hot summer night or during the coldest winter days while you run 2 or 3 heat pumps to keep warm. This announcement should prove that these people are nuts. If you have to shut down your dishwasher or air conditioner now without a concentration of EVs, think of the future. I can’t believe the lack of common sense and critical thinking in people who support this nonsense. You will not be able to go anywhere, your house will be cold, you will wash your closths in the sink and you will cook outside in the winter. Welcome to the apocalypse brought to you by people you vote for, brilliant!

Comments are closed.