Cleco asking customers to reduce electrical usage to avoid potential power outages
Important information from Cleco Power:
Cleco is asking its customers to voluntarily reduce electricity usage until further notice, especially tonight between 5 p.m. and 10 p.m. CST, to avoid potential power outages as directed by our regional reliability coordinator, MISO.
Yesterday, we took the unprecedented step, as directed by MISO, to force outages across parts of our service territory. This is only the third time in our 85-year history that this step has been taken – once in 2008 and the other two times during this winter storm event.
Unfortunately, we don’t receive much advance notice before being forced to implement rolling power outages. Customers should heed this public appeal as a notice for possible power outages and prepare now.
Customers can conserve energy by:
- Delaying laundry, washing dishes, and other non-essential uses of electricity until this appeal for conservation has ended.
- Washing clothes with cold water, cooking foods at the lowest possible setting, and refraining from opening the oven door while baking.
- Not allowing warmed air to escape from the home.
- Lowering the central thermostat to 68 degrees or lower if possible.