Watching your electricity consumption could go a long way in helping your neighbors in times of extreme heat or cold. The North American Electric Reliability Corporation released its 2024 Long-Term Reliability Assessment last month, placing risk levels on the reliability of bulk power systems on the continent. The report put a large portion of the upper Midwest and a region in and around Louisiana at high risk for shortfalls occurring during normal peak conditions. It states that "resource additions are not keeping up with generator retirements and demand growth" and "reserve margins fall below reference margin levels during the winter and summer" when demand reaches its highest. Sturgeon Bay Utilities General Manager Jim Stawicki says they have been watching it for years, especially as electrification grows across the country.

Stawicki says there are ways residents can help utility companies like Sturgeon Bay Utilities handle peak loads, especially as overnight lows dip below 20 degrees this week.

He adds that all of the important stakeholders are aware of the issues at hand and that it will take a diversified response across the country to ensure that customers have affordable, reliable, and sustainable energy.