Blog Archive

Monday, December 23, 2013

A Christmas Wish from Glasgow EPB

Our office will be closed on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, in the hope that our team will get some well deserved time with their families. It is our sincere hope that you get to do that as well.

If you have an emergency or suffer an interruption to one of the essential services you buy from us, please give us a call at 651-8341 and we will respond, no matter the date.

We have done a lot of that over the last 48 hours. Many of our folks worked continuously from Saturday evening through late Sunday night, repairing damage done to our networks by ferocious winds and some lightning. While all of the repairs are not complete, we have been able to accomplish many repairs and have implemented temporary fixes to other damage -- things that we hope can wait for permanent repair until after Christmas.

We give thanks during this season for another year in which we have been able to be your "Cavalry" and come to the rescue of many folks who needed help to return their lives to normal. We are thankful to have the opportunity to be of service, and we are thankful that our team has been able to do this work without being seriously injured. It is that for which we are the most thankful.

We do not say that lightly, because it is practically a miracle that we can say that. Conditions like what we had Saturday and Sunday often put our folks in back yards where they encounter a confusing array of downed trees, mud, energized conductors wrapped around an array of communications cables and other devices that present many dangers. This is normally done in total darkness during a driving wind and rain storm. Successfully returning your homes and businesses to the comfort and convenience that we need to make our lives happy, is fraught with many complications and dangers, and we count our blessings that we have a team capable of handling these challenges.

Thank you for choosing Glasgow EPB to perform these tasks for you. We hope that our work brings you the foundation of a wonderfully happy holiday season and that you build pleasant memories that will endure upon that foundation. Merry Christmas to you from all of us at Glasgow EPB!
Wednesday, December 11, 2013

Preparing For Record Setting Lows

The cold weather simply isn't letting up and once again the EPB needs your help. It appears that Thursday morning is likely to set a new peak energy demand for December with temperatures predicted to fall to new lows. That is why we are declaring Thursday morning a Blue Level load alert for Glasgow between 7:00 am and 10:00 am, and are again asking for your help at both residences and businesses.

As we've mentioned before, if you are an EPB power customer you can help the community lower its energy bill from TVA. We have found that raising your thermostat a bit higher than normal before you go to bed allows you to store some heat before the coldest temperatures arrive at day break. Then, when you get up, lower your thermostat a few degrees (68 is a good temperature) and leave it that way until 10:00 a.m. or after. The pre-heating should help hold your temperature until the end of the peak.

It is the large appliances in a home that contribute the most to our peak demand in the winter. Please delay turning on the clothes dryer, dishwasher, or your electric oven between 7:00 am – 10:00 am on Thursday and limit your use of hot water if you have an electric water heater. If you are really feeling like helping, trip off your electric water heater when you get up. You will still have hot water for your morning routines, but the water heater will not immediately recover and drive up our demand (just don’t forget to turn it back on later in the day so it can recover).

Businesses can help by lowering their thermostat temperature a couple of degrees during that time frame and postponing any electric intensive projects until after 10:00 am or completing before 7:00 am.

We are busy working on research projects that will allow these processes to be automated so we do not have to ask you repeatedly for your help in minimizing our peak demands. While we have some very interesting projects, right now our only hope is for you to help us – and the entire community. Thank you again for your assistance!