News

Actions

Dominion preps for heatwave; says recent outages are not related

Posted at 4:09 PM, Jul 07, 2014
and last updated 2014-07-07 18:04:29-04

RICHMOND, Va. -- Multiple power outages in the Mechanicsville area have residents worried as summer temperatures continue to climb.

Rosemarie Shelton was home in her neighborhood off Cold Harbor Road when the power went out last Wednesday, Friday and Saturday.

“I am concerned about how much food I will lose if [the electricity] stays out too long,” Shelton said.

Dan Genest, a spokesperson for Dominion Power,  attributed the outages to “a series of popup thunderstorms” and said the problems were not related to the high temperatures.

“We have adequate generation supplies to meet the anticipated demand,” Genest said while mentioning that  temperatures may reach 100 degrees in the next couple days.

Genest said that if customers want to keep their energy bills down, and still keep their house cool, they should keep blinds closed during the day, turn the thermostat to 78 degrees, and cook outside whenever possible.

But for Shelton, who already adheres to much of this advice, just wants the power to stay on.

“Please. What is happening?” she said.