Peak Energy Alert issued for several communities Tuesday morning

ROCHESTER, Minn. (KTTC) – Amid bitterly cold temperatures, some energy customers are being asked to reduce their usage, as communities prepare for high demand on the electrical grid.

According to a press release, Freeborn-Mower Electric Cooperative (Albert Lea), MiEnergy Cooperative (Rushford), People’s Energy Cooperative (Oronoco), and Heartland Power Cooperative (St. Ansgar) are under that alert from 7 a.m. - 11 a.m. Tuesday.

The electric cooperatives suggest setting heating systems to 68 degrees or lower if no one is home and waiting to run dishwashers or laundry machines. They say people can also use the microwave instead of the oven to cook and avoid turning on their TVs or gaming systems during that time.