Nova Scotia Power asks customers to conserve energy due to cold snap
Utility encourages customers to reduce energy use during peak hours
Nova Scotia Power is asking customers to conserve energy this weekend as temperatures fall into minus double digits, with wind chill values in the –20s.
The utility said Sunday that frigid temperatures have already resulted in two power outages in the Pugwash and the Blomidon areas. Power in both areas has since been restored.
“Both outages were related to the extreme cold and high demand on the system,” said Nova Scotia Power in an email to CBC News.
As of 3:20 p.m., nearly 2,000 households in Nova Scotia were without power, with almost 1,500 of those households located near Clam Harbour.
Although there have been some localized outages, Nova Scotia Power said Sunday afternoon that they have not “seen system-wide issues that would require proactive short rotating outages across the province.”
The utility’s grid status index site remains in a warning phase, meaning "the power system is forecast to approach maximum capacity," according to the website.
The extreme cold this weekend has meant customers are using more energy for heating than usual, which is placing significant pressure on the power system.
Nova Scotia Power is encouraging customers to conserve energy during peak hours of the day, between 7 a.m. and 11 a.m. and from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m., by turning off high-consumption appliances and turning down the thermostat to the lowest comfortable temperature.
High-consumption appliances include dishwashers, ovens and washers and dryers, according to the utility. It's also asking customers who use an electric water heater to limit the use of hot water as much as possible.
The notice comes as Newfoundland and Labrador's N.L. Hydro warned customers to prepare for rotating outages as a result of a shutdown at the island's largest generating plant.
On Sunday, Rob Collett, the company's vice-president of engineering and system operator, said N.L. Hydro has been importing power from Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and New England to help manage the demand.
Nova Scotia Power spokesperson Jacqueline Foster told CBC News in a statement Saturday that because Newfoundland has declared an emergency, it will provide them with support during the extreme cold.
But, Foster said, that support can change "depending on whether we need the energy to meet the needs here in Nova Scotia."
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