Balancing the demand for electricity with just-in-time supply and then transmitting the electricity over an expansive grid of transmission and distribution lines make the U.S. electric grid the most complex machine in our nation’s history.

As an industry, we are impacted by several domestic and international economic challenges. Over the past several years, these challenges have followed a national trend of retiring older fossil fuel generation that runs 24/7 and transitioning to more intermittent renewable energy, which is mainly dependent on the weather.

So far, generation additions haven’t kept pace with the retirement resources they will replace. As a result, we want everyone to be increasingly more aware of the possibility of requests to reduce electricity usage.

Suppose the supply and demand problem becomes too great. In that case, our regional grid operator will order short-duration emergency service interruptions to preserve the operational integrity of the grid and reduce the risk of prolonged and widespread power outages.

Generation reserves are typically available for unexpected events that impact the system’s balance of supply and demand, but they aren’t as large as they once were. This situation increases the possibility of reductions in electricity more frequently to prevent large-scale power outages.

SEI REMC will send messages and requests for you to consume less energy during times when demand is high and supply is tight. We ask you to turn off any unnecessary lights, appliances, or other household items. Use the delayed start functions on appliances to move laundry and dishwashing to later in the day. Setting your thermostat slightly lower this winter will also help.

We are working hard to ensure members are informed about these issues. We will continue sending messages and posting on social media when these events happen.

Again, please be prepared for the possibility of outages. Should the situation dictate, power could be intentionally disconnected for periods of time to preserve the integrity of the entire grid.