Mississippi Power system holds up well amidst late July heat wave
Gulfport, Miss. – With temperatures hovering in the 90s and the heat index above 110 degrees for several hours over the weekend, Mississippi Power reliably met our customers energy needs.
Thursday’s peak demand of 2,315 MW was the highest monthly demand since the historic winter storms in February.
“Our Generation employees ensured all units were available to help cool homes and businesses from Coastal Mississippi to Meridian,” said Senior Vice President of Production Jim Heilbron. “The proactive planning and maintenance that our team undertakes when the weather is calm helps them respond when weather conditions are extreme.”
The company’s Power Delivery team continues its work to build a more reliable and smarter system to supply electricity to our customers. The company’s grid modernization projects have already helped customers avoid approximately 5 million outage minutes.
“We continue to add smart technology like reclosers and trip savers to our lines, which reduce both the frequency and duration of outages for our customers,” Power Delivery General Manager Randall Pinkston said. “These smart grid technologies and self-healing networks can automatically isolate problems and restore service to affected areas in a matter of seconds.”
Mississippi Power is on pace to have 95 percent of customers on a self-healing network by 2024.
While the company continues its commitment to the customers and communities we serve, Mississippi Power also offers the following energy efficiency tips that customers can implement this summer to help manager their energy usage:
- Set the thermostat for your air conditioner or heat pump at the highest comfortable setting. Mississippi Power recommends a setting of 78 degrees.
- Change your air filters at least once a month and have your HVAC unit cleaned and checked by a certified technician.
- Keep your blinds closed or curtains shut during the day to keep out heat from the sun.
- Check your insulation and make sure the windows and doors in your home are not leaking air.
- Try to avoid running larger appliances – dishwasher, washing machine, and dryer – during the middle of the day.
Now in its 96th year of operations, Mississippi Power, a subsidiary of Southern Company (NYSE: SO), produces safe, reliable and affordable energy for more than 188,000 customers in 23 southeast Mississippi counties. Mississippi Power recently was a recipient of the Community Partner Impact Award from the Center for Energy Workforce Development for its innovative and ongoing efforts to build a diverse workforce. With nearly 160 megawatts of approved solar energy capacity, Mississippi Power is the largest partner in providing renewable energy in the state of Mississippi. Visit our website at mississippipower.com, like us on Facebook, and follow us on Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, and YouTube.
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