Utilities gear up for peak demand

Although local utilities reported record-breaking power usage this week, TECO said it is prepared for potentially below-freezing temperatures this weekend.

"We feel real confident without a doubt that we should be able to meet customer demands this weekend, even into Monday morning," said TECO spokesperson Rick Morera.

Morera said TECO plans to buy power from warmer areas, such as Miami, if needed. It also has customers who have agreed to reduce power consumption during peak times in return for lower rates. In 2009, the utility also installed new power units specially designed to handle system overloads that should eliminate the need for brownouts.

The new units can come online very quickly, Morera said. "They're for peak demand like we're seeing (the) past couple of days."

That would be very good news for TECO customer Fabiola Perez, who was one of about 5,000 customers in the Town 'N Country area of Tampa who lost power for between one and two hours Friday morning.

"I'm very concerned about the heater working right," Perez said as her husband Leo trimmed shrubbery and hauled plants into their garage in advance of the winter weather.

A Tampa resident for 40 years, Perez said Friday's outage reminded her of the last time record-breaking temperatures hit the Bay area. In 1989, utilities conserved power by cutting customers off at staggered intervals, a practice known as rolling brownouts.

Morera said Friday's outage was not weather-related and was caused by switching problems at a substation. He said ultimately it's the customer's responsibility to use energy wisely during times of peak demand.

"I don't know (that) you can ever be 100 percent sure you're not going to have somebody out at some point," he said.

POWER SAVINGS

To keep Tampa Bay area power levels consistent, TECO recommends you:

•Set thermostats low to conserve energy.

•Make sure doors and windows are properly sealed and closed.

•Close fireplace flue if not in use.