Network manager Enexis calls on residents of Drenthe, among others, to use less power on cold days. In addition, Drenten must spread their power consumption better throughout the day.
On cold days with a lot of frost, people and companies in Drenthe use a lot of electricity at the same time, for example to heat their home. But that cannot handle the full power grid in some Enexis areas, including Drenthe.
According to Enexis, overloading is mainly in the early morning (between 7 a.m. and 10 a.m.) and in the afternoon and evening (between 4 p.m. and 9 p.m.). The network operator therefore asks households and companies in Drenthe to wash outside those peak hours, to vacuum the house or to do other energy -slurping activities.
In addition to the call, Enexis also investigates additional measures. For example, it is checked whether companies can temporarily purchase less electricity during peak times for a fee. The hope is that with these types of measures large peaks in consumption can be taken care of.
Nevertheless, Enexis warns that this offers no guarantees. If the demand for electricity in Drenthe becomes too great, the network operator can temporarily switch off parts of the power grid. Households and companies are without electricity for a few hours. How long such an interruption lasts depends on when the peak decreases.
The call applies not only to Drenthe, but also to the provinces of Groningen, Overijssel, Noord-Brabant and Limburg.