Artic Blast Brings Sustained Freezing Temperatures; Duke Energy Prepares and Encourages Customers to Save Energy and Money

As the Carolinas brace for sustained freezing temperatures, Duke Energy is taking proactive measures to ensure reliability and help customers manage their energy bills. The utility company is implementing grid improvements, utilizing self-healing technology, and providing energy-saving tips to customers to help them navigate the extreme cold weather.

Duke Energy's preparation for winter storms is crucial for maintaining reliability and customer satisfaction. The company works on grid improvements throughout the year, including tree trimming around power lines, pole and line upgrades, and installing smart, self-healing technology. This proactive approach helps avoid outages and restore power faster when they do occur. In 2024, self-healing technology helped avoid more than 1.1 million customer outages in the Carolinas, saving around 3.3 million hours of total outage time. Nearly 60% of those benefits were achieved during major storms (Duke Energy, 2024).



Duke Energy also offers 24/7 monitoring and preventive maintenance services, including weatherization and regular testing, to find and fix any issues as well as monthly load testing that includes cold starts. This proactive approach helps avoid operational issues and ensures that customers' power supply is maintained during winter storms.

Flexible financing options are available for resiliency solutions and services, such as monthly subscription services or separate Operations & Maintenance (O&M) agreements. This flexibility allows customers to finance the best resiliency solution for their unique needs and budget, further contributing to customer satisfaction.

Duke Energy encourages customers to take advantage of energy-saving tips to help manage their bills during extreme cold weather. These tips include reducing thermostat temperature, setting water heater temperature, using natural sunlight, operating ceiling fans, sealing drafty windows, installing tight-fitting drapes or shades, maintaining heating systems, sealing cracks and openings, and replacing standard bulbs with LEDs.



By following these energy-saving measures, customers can reduce their energy consumption and lower their overall energy costs during extreme cold weather. Duke Energy's commitment to reliability and customer satisfaction, along with its energy-saving tips, helps customers navigate the challenges of sustained freezing temperatures and manage their energy bills effectively.

In conclusion, Duke Energy's preparation for winter storms, including grid improvements and self-healing technology, contributes significantly to its overall reliability and customer satisfaction. The company's energy-saving tips help customers manage their bills during extreme cold weather, ensuring a balanced approach to addressing the challenges posed by sustained freezing temperatures.