On hot summer days Central Electric Cooperative will send out a beat the heat alert, but why?
CEC prices are predetermined and are based on rates from the previous year. The purpose is to help not strain the power grid, but, does that mean if you are one of 25,000 customers you should be worried? Not at all, according to Matt Boshaw, CEO and General Manager of CEC.
Boshaw says it is only a precautionary move that Pennsylvania-New Jersey-Maryland Interconnection (PJM) power grid, the supplier for CEC, issues a “Beat the Heat” warning that CEC then passes on to its customers.
There should also be no worries that rolling blackouts that happen on the west coast happen in Western Pennsylvania.
“PJM, I believe, is better prepared for that. I’m not an employee of PJM and I certainly don’t represent them, but as a provider that utilizes their services and takes generation from their grid, we found them to be a very well run organization and they’ve done very well for this region,” Boshaw said.
In addition to the belief that PJM would always efficiently provide power, CEC conserves power in case of emergency. Boshaw also said every company and cooperative may have different policy.
