Appalachian Power encouraging customers to prepare for colder temps, extreme wind chills

Appalachian Power encouraging customers to prepare for colder temps, extreme wind chills (Image 1) (Copyright by WSLS - All rights reserved)

(WSLS 10) - Appalachian Power says they're encouraging their customers to prepare for colder temperatures and extreme wind chills expected this week across much of Virginia. 

The company says they are monitoring its distribution system closely to assure reliability in advance of the expected increased demand for electricity.   

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"We do not anticipate widespread outages due to cold temperatures," said Phil Wright, Appalachian Power's Vice President of Distribution Operations in a written statement, released on Wednesday. "Our system is designed to handle temperature extremes but we always want to be prepared. As a result, we're reviewing our substation equipment and looking along our distribution lines for any concerns and will make adjustments as needed." 

Appalachian Power employees and company contractors will remain on alert as they have for the past week, officials say. Over the Valentine's Day weekend, damage caused by snow and high winds left more than 12,000 customers without electric service across the company's service area. 

Employees responded by working through the weekend to restore power. 

Customers who lose electric service can help speed restoration by turning off all electric appliances, including heating and air conditioning systems, until 10-to-30 minutes after power has been restored. Officials say this step helps prevent circuit overload situations. 

Outages can be reported to Appalachian Power by calling the customer service center toll-free, 1-800-967-4237. During times of high call volume, callers may hear a recorded message and can leave a voice message about their outage.