Wichita power outages weather related, not rolling blackouts, Evergy says

As an arctic freeze settled over the Midwest, bringing sub-zero temperatures, several inches of snow and bone-chilling winds, Kansas’ largest energy company urged its customers Sunday night to turn down thermostats and keep their power use to a minimum until the weather improves.

But that wasn’t an option for hundreds of Wichitans who woke up without power Monday morning, including students living in the dorms at Wichita State University. The school had to turn to backup generators to keep students warm.

The temperature in Wichita at 9 a.m. on Monday was -8 degrees Fahrenheit with a windchill of -29 degrees.

An Evergy spokesperson said the outages are weather related and are not rolling blackouts — like the ones seen in Texas — or any sort of throttling by the energy company.

The outages followed warnings by Evergy and a State of Disaster Emergency declaration by Gov. Laura Kelly on Sunday indicating energy bills could increase if people don’t conserve energy.

“As the extreme cold temperatures continue to affect the region, we are urging Kansans to conserve energy in order to help ensure a continued supply of natural gas and electricity and keep their own personal costs down,” Kelly said in a news release.

The price of natural gas has surged as energy customers in states from North Dakota down to Texas struggle to heat homes and businesses. The governor’s statement said wholesale natural gas prices were 10 to 100 times higher than normal as of Sunday.

“Those costs will eventually flow through to consumers, and increase monthly natural gas and electric bills,” the statement says.

Two states south of Kansas, the Electric Reliability Council of Texas began rotating outages Sunday to reduce the state’s demand on the energy grid. Evergy has not resorted to rolling outages to conserve energy and has instead urged customers to safely limit energy use, providing the following guidance:

▪ Turn thermostats a little cooler (65-68 degrees). Avoid the use of electric space heaters.

▪ Close blinds and shades to reduce the amount of heat lost through windows.

▪ Change or clean filters on furnaces.

▪ Turn off unnecessary lights and appliances in your home.

▪ When possible, use large appliances (clothes washers, dryers and dishwashers) between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m.

▪ Reduce air leaks that let cold air in by sealing around doors and windows with weatherstripping or caulk and inserting foam gaskets on electrical switches and outlets.

▪ Businesses should reduce the use of electric lighting and electricity-consuming equipment as much as possible.

▪ Large consumers of electricity should consider shutting down or reducing non-essential processes.

This story was originally published February 15, 2021 at 11:47 AM.