A federal utility corporation that is the largest public power supplier in the country is working to keep the heat on in Alabama this winter. The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) provides electricity to 153 local power companies in seven states, including the Yellowhammer State.
TVA reports that, to prevent freezing of facilities and instrumentation, utility workers have added and/or upgraded insulation, built enclosures around exposed and vulnerable equipment, and modernized heat trace technology. This includes the installation of heated electrical cabling along pipes that prevents both the liquid inside and the critical instrumentation used to monitor the system from freezing.
“I like to tell people, we’re either in the winter season or we’re preparing for the winter season,” said Eric Grau, TVA general manager for gas operations, in a press release. “Over the last year, TVA has made significant investments, both financially and from a time standpoint with our folks at our sites to be sure our winter readiness program has been executed."
The Authority also reports it has revised all site-level seasonal readiness procedures to include detailed actions for severe cold weather. Plant leaders conducted drills and tabletop exercises to prepare for any extreme weather this winter.
“TVA Is very reliable. We maintain greater than 99 percent reliability,” Paradise Combined Cycle Plant Manager Jim Phelps said in a press release. “We put a lot of effort and work into maintaining that reliability.”
In past winters, TVA carried out more than 2,600 repairs of heat trace wires and insulation across its system— but the latest efforts take the program to a whole new level. At TVA’s Large Combined Cycle Plants, heat trace teams have been taking multiple readings on heat trace wires— the amps or strength of the electrical current, the voltage, the resistance and the condition of the insulation. They’re also fine-tuning detailed maps of circuits that power the heat trace.
“This year we're looking at heat trace in a whole different way,” said Norm Flake, a Senior Program Manager at TVA. “We're starting to look at circuit health. It has a lifespan. How far down on that lifespan are we?"
In FY 2024, TVA invested $430 million to harden its system and enhance the reliability and resilience of its gas, hydro and coal generating fleet— and it paid off. TVA’s system met record-high demand peaks during the prolonged deep freeze of Winter Storm Heather in January 2024.
TVA teams have also completed 417 preventive maintenance work orders to prepare for this winter. At the same time, they’re investing in long-term projects to further harden TVA’s system. This includes proactively scheduling replacement of aging heat trace lines and insulation in the coming years.
TVA offers thee energy savings tips to follow when extreme cold hits:
• Take advantage of sunlight when it’s out there. During sunny days, open curtains to let natural sunlight warm your home and close them at night to provide an extra layer of insulation. Some people even use thicker curtains, called thermal curtains, in winter to keep out the cold air, so you may consider purchasing those.
• Double-check that your heating vents are open and not blocked by furniture or rugs. It’s a myth that closing vents will save money by not heating unused rooms. Your home’s central heating system is sized to accommodate all the rooms in your house, so it will generate the same amount of hot air no matter how many vents are open. Closing vents can actually cause your system to overwork, causing higher energy bills and damage over time.
• Set your ceiling fans to run clockwise. This will push warm air down to where you can feel it, but don’t forget to turn the fan off when you’re not in the room. Fans warm and cool people, not rooms.
• If you are baking something, leave the oven door open after you finish so all the heat escapes into the room. Of course, use caution if you do this to make sure there are no children, pets or guests who might not realize the oven is still hot and could injure themselves.
• Perhaps most importantly, set your thermostat as low as you can and still feel comfortable. Each degree you go down can save you as much as three percent on your energy bill.
• You can find more information on energy savings tips and on how to make your home more energy efficient at energyright.com.
TVA EnergyRight offers programs to help residents lower their energy bill. Homeowners can earn rebates for home energy upgrades. Home energy evaluations are also available. Learn more here about how to get one. Additionally, businesses can receive financial incentives for qualifying equipment purchases.
More information on energy savings tips and on how to make your home more energy efficient can be found here.
