Despite the brunt of this week’s winter weather impacting primarily southern and central parts of the state, the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) issued a plea to their customers to reduce energy usage this morning between 6:00 a.m. and 10:00 a.m. in order to, “help keep our grid stable!”

TVA, the largest public utility provider in the United States, providing power to approximately 1.2 million Alabamians, said they and their local utility companies are “lowering thermostats and keeping lights off in our office an buildings and plants,” and requested customers’ do the same.

“It’s really cold this week, and we are seeing near record power demand,” a TVA spokesman said. “While we’re not expecting emergency conditions, being a smart energy consumer can help you save money and reduce spraying on the power grid. We’re asking you to lower power consumption between 6am and 10am on Wednesday morning.”

TVA requested customers set their thermostat between 65-68 degrees, avoid using major appliances, unplug nonessential electronics, and turn off lights when not in use.

A major winter storm swept across Alabama this week, with snow accumulation averaging from 2 to 6 inches in the warning area, which did not include any counties north of Cherokee.

Further south, from Mobile to the Wiregrass, counties experienced record-high snowfall. According to the National Weather Service, no snowfall or severe winter weather was reported in North Alabama this week.

After initiating unprecedented, rolling blackouts during the winter of 2022, the Tennessee Valley Authority has faced scrutiny over the reliability of its power grid.

According to TVA, the utility has been preparing for winter demand all year and invested more than $430 million in 2024 to harden its system.