BATON ROUGE – As thousands run out of energy Monday and Tuesday mornings due to a freezing winter storm, crews with Entergy and Demco are working hard to restore electricity in southern Louisiana.
More than 100,000 were without power on Monday. The crews worked feverishly Monday night to reconnect the houses. Some people are expected to run out of energy overnight.
For those with electricity, Entergy also issued a warning for residents to moderate their energy consumption.
“When power is cut off in the winter, many customers leave their heating systems and appliances on, creating too much energy demand all of a sudden when we try to restore energy,” the company said.
On Monday, Entergy issued another statement asking customers to reduce their energy consumption, especially between 17:00 and 21:00 on Monday.
Entergy said energy demand could exceed the current level of electricity generated due to the weather. If it fails to keep up with the demand, Entergy says periodic outages may be needed to prevent longer outages. The company currently forecasts that the cargo will exceed that of January 2019 and will reach a historic peak.
Entergy tips for reducing energy consumption include the following.
-Lower the central thermostat to 68 degrees and adjust the window units accordingly.
-Use energy efficient ceiling fans and portable fans to circulate the air to help you with comfort.
-Open the blinds, drapes and curtains to let the sun heat up.
-Delay laundry, dishwashing, bathing and other non-essential uses of electricity until the completion of this call for preservation.
-Wash the clothes with cold water, cook the food to the lowest possible setting and refrain from opening the oven door while baking.
-Do not allow heated air to escape from the house.