FARMINTON HILLS, Mich. (WXYZ) — As Michigan residents prepare for dangerous heat this week, there are power grid concerns along with the potential for blowouts.
An excessive heat warning has been issued for Wednesday at noon until 8 a.m. Thursday for many counties in metro Detroit.
“Not fun and it's going to get hotter this week,” Ray Littleton of Farmington Hills said.
Littleton and his children are spending a lot more time outside because their air conditioning system has been struggling since they turned it on in their new home.
“It's very weak and you got to work the fans, so you're using electricity. We tried to do stuff outside the house during the day while we were waiting for things to get fixed," Littleton said.
Air Doctors Heating and Cooling showed up to fix their AC. But in some cases, you may not need a professional.
“It's a very common problem. They'll say, hey my AC is not working. But as soon as we change that filter, it works right away,” Miles Williams with Air Doctors said.
As people get ready to give their air conditioners a real workout this week, a recent report from the North American Electric Reliability Corporation said that the major power grid operator in a number of states, Midcontinent Independent System Operator, could face grid failure and fall short of meeting energy demands, including in Michigan.
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“It's going to be interesting to watch the summer. By fall, we'll know how well their predictions turned out,” said Dr. Ian Hiskens, who researches power systems for the University of Michigan.
DTE President Trevor Lauer says the energy needs of Southeast Michigan are covered.
“DTE has enough electricity for the hottest days for our customers,” Lauer said, adding that issues will occur here and there but they're prepared.
“Sometimes when this heat really comes in, some utility systems are short, so they're not a net-seller like we are. We're asked to provide additional power to help support the rest of the grid outside of Southeast Michigan,” Lauer said. “So first and foremost, I would want your listeners to know, we have all the electricity they need from a generation perspective. And we will be there during the hottest days.”
DTE has its Fermi 2 nuclear power plant, and they just brought the Blue Water Energy Center.
“It is the cleanest, most efficient natural gas plant that's built in the United States. It started operation two weeks ago and it's replacing a handful of the coal-fired power plants that we just retired,” Lauer said.
But what can you do at home to stay cool and conserve energy?
“If you can cook outside and you have an outside grill, go out and cook outside versus inside because you're not generating the heat inside of your home,” Lauer said.
He also urges not to neglect that air conditioning.
“If you see pollen or anything, lint, dirt or any buildup on here, you can take a water hose and wash it around here to make sure your unit is able to breathe,” William said.
During this week's hot stretch, Lauer says he doesn't expect rolling bollouts or bad impacts for customers.
