Extreme heat calls for conservation measures
By Jim Coode, General Manager

As this column is being written, it is late June, mid-morning, and already nearly 90 degrees outside my office window. Of all the things in my life for which I am grateful, air conditioning is right up there! If our weather this month is like previous Augusts, we’re in for more scorching hot days.

Preliminary figures show this summer is running hotter than normal. Based on our degree days from May 1 through June 25, temperatures are 37 percent warmer than the same period last year.

Fortunately, residents of Middle Tennessee are accustomed to the heat and humidity we experience each summer. The media cautions us regularly about heat index and over-exertion with outdoor activity.

It is in the spirit of personal safety that the following suggestions are offered to help you cope with the heat wave, especially if you must spend much of your time outdoors:

• Drink plenty of non alcoholic fluids.
• Wear a hat, and wear light weight and light colored clothing to help reflect the sunlight.
• Take frequent rest breaks in the shade, and try to avoid sunburn.
• Keep abreast of the latest weather information in case any heat advisories are issued.

Electrical equipment on the Cumberland Electric Membership Corporation system reacts to heat similarly. The rating of transformers in the summer is much less than in cooler months when the ambient temperature aids in the cooling process. Although historically electrical load is greater in the winter for the CEMC system, summer peak demand can be more of an issue because of the effect of summer weather on equipment.

Supply and demand are as real in the purchase of wholesale electricity as in other businesses. The cost of power is greatest when supply is minimal. We purchase 100 percent of our wholesale power from the Tennessee Valley Authority. In the summer months the entire TVA portfolio of electric generation resources is utilized. If generation units are out of service or demand exceeds total supply, power must be purchased off the TVA system. These purchases come at a high price.

The message to conserve electrical energy is urgent because energy saved postpones the need for additional generation, and the cost of new generating facilities today is substantial, to say the least. Efforts to promote energy efficiency are evident across the Valley on behalf of all TVA distributors. However, the greatest benefit of these conservation efforts is realized in the periods of peak energy consumption.
Whether a national energy bill is crafted and enacted this year is unknown, but at some point policy will strongly encourage conservative measures. Using less is an immediate address to concerns of power supply.

The comfort electrical energy affords is evident especially in these summer months. Recognizing the fact that supply and demand apply to the electrical power industry is a positive step toward ensuring affordable and reliable electric service.