NOVEC: Avoid Major Appliances Today

Like it did during the last Arctic blast, NOVEC is asking customers to avoid using major appliances today in an effort to conserve energy.

NOVEC requests that customers use dishwashers, ovens, washing machines, and dryers only between noon and 5 p.m.

"Electric loads are very high throughout the region due to the extremely cold weather," a representative said. "Avoiding unnecessary electricity use will help tremendously until demand for electricity drops."

The region is currently enduring temperatures in the single digits and wind chill values are expected to drop below zero overnight.

"It would help if everyone would put off some household chores that require major appliances until temperatures rise and demand for electricity drops, Mike Curtis, NOVEC vice president, Public Relations said.

If a customer loses power during this extreme weather, the outage can be reported to NOVEC by calling 703-335-0500, 1-888-335-0500 or going to www.novec.com/mobile on smartphones.