SCE&G expecting high energy use, asking for conservation

CHARLESTON, SC (WCSC) - Officials with SCE&G say they expect energy use to remain high into Tuesday evening and Wednesday morning as extreme cold temperatures continue.

SCE&G are asking customers to conserve energy where possible and to unplug non-essential appliances and devices.

According to SCE&G, conservation during the hours of 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Tuesday and 6 a.m. to 9 a.m. on Wednesday will help lessen the stress on electric systems and reduce the potential for outages.

Earlier on Tuesday, SCE&G suspended rolling blackouts throughout South Carolina after thousands of customers reported outages early Tuesday morning.

Officials say rolling blackouts were issued as a way to protect the stability of the electric system after a deep freeze resulted in over 56,000 outages across the state.

Earlier this morning, 31,000 Charleston homes reported outages, along with 4,000 customer in Beaufort.

According to Charleston Water Systems, over 200 homes are without water due to frozen pipes.

The outages come at a time when temperatures are in the low 20s with the wind chill below 10 degrees.

Officials say the rolling blackouts have since ended.

To check the SCE&G outage map, click here.

To report power outages, call 1-888-333-4465.