BATON ROUGE – As thousands are out of power Monday to Tuesday morning due to an icy winter storm, Entergy and Demco crews are working hard to restore electricity to areas of southern Louisiana.
More than 100,000 were without electricity on Monday. Crews worked feverishly on Monday evening to reconnect the houses. However, some people are expected to be without power overnight.
For those with electricity, Entergy has also issued a warning to residents to moderate their power consumption.
“When the power is interrupted during the winter, many customers leave their heating systems and appliances on, suddenly demanding too much energy when trying to restore power,” the company said.
Later Monday, Entergy released another statement asking customers to reduce their power consumption, specifically on Mondays between 5pm and 9pm.
Entergy said energy demand may be higher than the current level of electricity generated by the weather. If it can’t keep up with demand, Entergy says periodic outages may be necessary to avoid more extensive outages. The company currently predicts that the tax will surpass and peak that of January 2019.
Entergy’s tips for reducing power consumption include the following.
-Reduce the central thermostat to 68 degrees and adjust the window units accordingly.
-Use energy efficient ceiling fans and portable fans to circulate air for more comfort.
-Open blinds, curtains and curtains to let in heat from the sun.
– Postpone laundry, dishes, bathing and other non-essential uses of electricity until this conservation call has ended.
-Wash clothes with cold water, cook food on the lowest possible setting and do not open the oven door while baking.
– Make sure that no heated air escapes from the house.