When you turn on your TV, the electricity is produced by a powerplant and delivered to you across the power lines. When you ask for power, it’s made and delivered to you, almost instantaneously. So when lots and lots of people are all asking for electricity at the same time, it puts a lot of pressure on the power plants to keep producing more and more electricity. Over the last few years, with the introduction of much more renewable electricity, it’s gotten more difficult to respond to those drastic increases in electric demand.
We don't want anyone to have to sit in the dark when it's really cold or really hot outside. If we all cut back a little and try to spread out when we’re using electricity, we won’t run into as many emergencies where there is too much demand and not enough supply. When families are getting home after work and electricity demand is at its highest, you can help your community by delaying appliances like dishwashers and clothes dryers until the evening.