[July 13, 2011] Oklahoma's high temperatures cause higher electric bills, more outages Tweet Jul 13, 2011 (The Oklahoman - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- Oklahoma has been beset with record heat this summer, but electricity usage has not reached the same plateau yet, according to officials with the state's two largest utility companies. Still, this summer's triple-digit temperatures already caused an increase of electricity usage since May, a significant increase in the monthly bills of some customers, minor power "blinks" in homes and an occasional outage, Oklahoma Gas and Electric Co. spokeswoman Kathleen O'Shea said Electricity demand from OG&E customers peaked July 6 at 6,456 megawatts. That is 170 megawatts less than the company record set Aug. 4 last year, O'Shea said. Sunday, the last day OG&E has usage numbers for, customers used 6,316 megawatts. Public Service Co. of Oklahoma experienced record demand as well, but spokesman Stan Whiteford said the Tulsa-based company has not seen demand reach that level this summer. "The unofficial numbers I've seen so far this summer show that we've been peaking at around 4,000 megawatts pretty consistently over the past few weeks, and even over 4,100 megawatts a few times," he said. "But again, so far we've stayed below the all-time record peak of 4,200 megawatts." O'Shea said it is only natural for demand to rise along with the mercury, although there are some remedies for the balmy weather that can help save money and keep cool. "People can do some things to help reduce their energy cost, but when it's 108 degrees out people are going to crank the air conditioner," she said. Ideas for lowering costs O'Shea suggests turning up the thermostat a couple of degrees. "Every degree increases energy output by 3 to 4 percent," she said. "By turning the thermostat up to 76 degrees or higher would reduce costs." O'Shea said customers also should close their curtains and shades on the sunniest side of the house. That helps to keep the sun out and cool air in. Customers also may want to consider another alternative rather than running their air conditioner constantly. "Ceiling fans are a great way to keep air moving in the house," O'Shea said. "And, they use the same amount of energy as a light bulb." She also suggests changing the time of day spent cooking, running the dish washer and washing and drying clothes. "Doing these chores at night or in the morning will reduce the amount of heat in the house and keep it a little cooler," she said. Outages and power blinks The heat has played a part in disrupting services for OG&E customers, O'Shea said. "When the temperatures go up outside, it can affect the lines and cables," she said. "But, it only takes about three hours at the most to repair. Sometimes underground cables take longer, but more often than not we can reroute services." O'Shea also said a variety of things could cause blinks or surges in houses. But, heat could be the culprit here, too. To see more of The Oklahoman, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.newsok.com. Copyright (c) 2011, The Oklahoman, Oklahoma City Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. For more information about the content services offered by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services (MCT), visit www.mctinfoservices.com. [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]