Due to the continued high temperatures, record-breaking demand for electricity, and the loss of some generating facilities in other parts of our region, Public Service Company of Oklahoma (PSO) is asking its customers to take immediate steps to reduce their use of electricity as much as possible.

The emergency appeal for energy conservation is specific to today. However, PSO customers are urged to conserve as much as possible while these extreme weather conditions persist.

To help ease demand for electricity, PSO has already reduced power use at its own facilities, and commercial and industrial customers who have agreements with PSO to curtail load are being asked to do so. In addition, all residential, commercial, industrial and municipal customers are being asked to take whatever measures they can to help reduce the demand for electricity. Those measures include:

• Cutting back on air conditioning, setting thermostats to at least 80 degrees

• Turning off pool pumps

• Turning off all but essential lighting

• Postponing the use of dishwashers and washers and dryers

• Unplugging all unused electric appliances, games, computers, etc.

If the situation worsens and demand is about to exceed the available supply of power, PSO is prepared, and may be required, to implement its emergency load reduction plan. This procedure – which could be implemented without further notification – temporarily interrupts power to parts of the company’s service area to avoid the possibility of more widespread outages. PSO would rotate the areas affected by the controlled outages so customers are not without service for more than an hour or two whenever possible. The plan is designed to minimize impacts on critical public health and safety facilities.

Additional tips and energy-saving suggestions can be found at PSOklahoma.com/save.

PSO, a unit of American Electric Power (NYSE: AEP), is an electric utility company serving more than 530,000 customers in eastern and southwestern Oklahoma. With headquarters in Tulsa, PSO has 4,321 megawatts of generating capacity and provides electricity to 230 cities and towns across a service area encompassing 30,000 square miles.