When you turn something on, a power plant somewhere has to generate the electricity and send it to you. Most of the time this isn’t a problem. Even on the hottest or coldest days with the highest demands for electricity, power plants ramp up production and send the extra power wherever its needed.
However, as our nation transitions to cleaner, renewable energy sources, there are fewer power plants with the flexibility to scale up or down at any given moment. It's relatively easy to put burn more coal or natural gas to meet the demand, but we can't make the sun burn brighter or the wind blow harder just because the demand for electricity has gone up.
The good news is that our nation's electric grid can move power from one region to another very efficiently, and when one area is struggling, they can rely on their neighbors to help. That's the same way that co-ops like Clark County REMC operate: neighbors helping neighbors. So if you see us calling for cutbacks when it's really hot or really cold, we appreciate whatever you can do to reduce your usage. Every little bit counts.