EDMONTON -- Continuing cold weather and low wind caused the Alberta Electric System Operator to issue an Energy Emergency Alert 1 on Thursday morning.
The EEA is a zero to three tiered alert system to help balance supply and demand of electricity in the province. Zero is normal.
AESO said In an EEA1 situation, supply is still meeting demand, but the province may start to use reserves.
If the situation worsened to an EEA3, some customers could see temporary power loses until enough power can be generated to balance out supply and demand again.
AESO is encouraging Albertans to continue reducing electricity usage wherever possible over the next few days, and has offered the following tips:
- Turn off unnecessary lights and electrical appliances
- Minimize the use of air conditioning/space heaters
- Delay the use of major power-consuming appliances such as washers, dryers and dishwashers until after the peak hours of 4 - 7 p.m.
- Use cold water for washing clothes – most of the energy used goes to heating the water. Only running full loads helps too
- Cook with your microwave, crockpot or toaster oven instead of the stove
- Limit the use of kitchen or bathroom ventilation fans
- Use motion detector lights in storage areas, garages, and outdoors when possible
- Work on a laptop instead of a desktop computer – laptops are more energy efficient than desktop units
