Hot weather forces Tri-State utility company to ask for conservation

CINCINNATI - With Tri-State temperatures expected to soar into the mid-90s on Wednesday and Thursday, a local utility company is already fearing that demand for electricity could also soar on what should be a couple of the hottest days so far in 2011.

Hamilton's City Utilities are asking everyone to consider what they can do to conserve as much electricity as possible, especially during the traditional peak power use times between 3 p.m. and 6 p.m.

Although the utilities don't say it publically, it's possible that without conservation efforts from individuals, we could see particular neighborhoods having to weather the hottest times of the day without any electricity at all.

That happened in July 2010 when residents of a Florence mobile home park endured several days without any outside power after a main electric cable into the complex failed. Some residents were forced to stay outside their homes, move in with friends and relatives or turn to neighbors with generators to help power their appliances and medical devices.

Utilities point out that as demand for electricity peaks on the hottest days, they have to start running their most expensive generating plants or buy additional power on the open market. Both can cause electric bills to greatly increase for customers.

Utilities also ask everyone to look for ways to use less electricity and get the most out of what they do use. Things that can help are unplugging electric chargers for cell phones and other appliances, raising thermostats a degree or two on air conditioners and change the times they do laundry or use dishwashers and other energy-extensive appliances until after 6 p.m.