Utility companies are preparing for what is likely to be the most-severe cold spell since their systems were pushed to their limits last winter.
Columbia Gas of Ohio and American Electric Power say they expect a spike in demand for natural gas and electricity starting this morning and continuing through Friday.
But demand likely will be much less than in the coldest days of last January, the companies said.
Related story: Snow is gone; now brace for cold
Skip Hall, Columbia's manager of gas control, planned to be at his Arena District office by about 5 a.m. today, two hours earlier than usual, to help monitor the gas system as customers begin their day.
"We know that we've got to have the gas ... so that when you do turn on the showers and the stove, the gas is ready," he said.
Located behind a locked door, the control center has two rows of desks and several dozen video monitors with weather maps and real-time readouts of the flow of gas in much of the company's service area. Employees sit in two rows of cubicles.
On a typical day, about 10 people are working in the center. This morning, the total will be closer to 12 to deal with the complexity of an unusually cold day.
Columbia officials are quick to note that stretches of extreme cold are a normal part of winter, and that the company's staff is prepared.
And, while this week's low temperatures are forecast to be below zero, the cold will be less severe than last year.
"On average, it won't be quite as cold for nearly as prolonged a period," said Mike Ripley, Columbia's director of gas control, who supervises Hall and the gas-control center.
Last year, Columbia customers' daily use hit 2.4 billion cubic feet of gas on Jan. 6, which was the most of any day that winter. The company is expecting today's use to be slightly less than 2 billion cubic feet.
The electricity system came close to exceeding its capacity last year.
PJM Interconnection, the company that manages the flow of power in a multistate territory, scrambled to keep the lights on and has been reviewing how to improve reliability.
AEP was able to maintain service to its customers in part because several power plants, which now are scheduled to be shut down to comply with environmental rules, were in operation.
The company has said the wave of shutdowns will increase the chances of brownouts and blackouts during extreme cold and hot weather.
That said, there is little concern about power supply this week because the cold will not be as severe as last year and because the company has not shut down any plants since last winter, AEP spokeswoman Melissa McHenry said.
The extreme cold should retreat by Saturday, with lows climbing into the teens, according to the National Weather Service.
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