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ST. GEORGE — With the scorching triple-digit temperatures in southern Utah, the city of St. George is proactively protecting its power grid by issuing an "orange alert."
"Orange is an indication that we were expecting exceptionally high temperatures and a really high load on our overall system," explained Rene Fleming, manager of the St. George Emergency Services Department.
The city is asking people to avoid using major household appliances like ovens, dishwashers, and washers and dryers between the peak hours of 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. The city also encourages keeping south and west-facing blinds closed, and the thermostat at no less than 78 degrees Fahrenheit.
"We've been a public power utility since 1942, and we've learned from experience that when we have temperatures high like this, higher than we've had in a few years, we can really expect a large demand on our electric system, so we're just trying to be proactive," Fleming said.
On Monday, St. George reached 114 degrees Fahrenheit. Many families flocked to the city's Historic Town Center to cool off.
"What we do when it gets really hot is go by where the water is," said Vickie Barlow.
Barlow drove from New Harmony with her family and spent the day enjoying the city's water feature.
"We were at Quail Creek on Friday playing in the lake; today, we brought kids and grandkids to play in the water here just to keep cool," she said. "They'll spend hours here, and when it's time for them to go, it's hard to get them out of the water and back into the car."
Fleming said with the help of St. George residents and visitors during these excessive heat days, the city can manage the strain on the power grid without outages or interruptions to services. She hopes that residents will see the benefits of reducing energy use.
"If you can help us by conserving, you're also helping yourself because you'll save money on your power bill," Fleming said.
