How excessive heat could affect power grid

SIKESTON, Mo. (KFVS) - With the excessive heat, many of you may be turning that AC down to stay cool - something that could lead to a strain on the power grid.

“The conditions are right where something could happen, or something may not happen,” said Sikeston Utilities Manager Jeff Winders.

“This week the grid is just at, at least for our portion, at a level to where the usage, because of the high heat, is really close to what the generation capacity is right now,” Winders added.

Winders said you don’t need to worry about your power going out.

“Right now, everything is fine,” he said. “It’s just if something happens it could not be fine.”

Russell Burger is the southeast missouri director for Ameren.

“Look at our power grid being that of a highway system during rush hour. The highway system is built to support the rush hour system just like our power grid is built to survive unprecedented heat like this,” said Burger.

He has some tips to help conserve some energy during the heat.

“Running your air conditioning in unison with your ceiling fans, we need to be doing that when we are in extreme heat like this; turn off incandescent bulbs, they generate heat; save heat producing tasks for later in the evening, like doing the laundry or using the stove,” said Burger.

Both Burger and Winders said they want to be proactive.

“We are aware of the situation and we have crews available and ready to respond if need be,” said Burger.

“We decided to air on the side of caution and kind of warn our customers,” added Winders.

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