As temperatures are heating up in the Valley, residents of the City of Columbiana have been asked to be more conservative with their usage of electricity Monday and Tuesday.

According to a press release, temperatures are expected to reach well into the 90s in the next few days, so Columbiana residents are being asked to limit their electricity usage Monday, July 15 and Tuesday, July 16.

"There's plenty of power available and our grid is in good shape, but if we can conserve during these peak hours, the city can save on transmission and capacity costs next year," said Columbiana City Manager Lance Willard.

Willard went on to say the "Columbiana Energy Saving Days" program has been going on since 2019 and residents have been doing their part to reduce their electricity usage during these peak days.

Customers can conserve electricity in many different ways including:

- Shutting off lights when they're not needed

- Unplugging small appliances and electric chargers (especially those with small lights)

- Raising the air conditioner or thermostat a degree or two

- Closing curtains, drapes and blinds

- Doing laundry and other household chores that require electricity during hours other than 2:00 p.m. through 6:00 p.m.

- Turning off televisions, computers and other electronics when they're not in use

"As a municipal electric system, owned by its citizens and customers, it is contingent upon those same citizens and customers to keep the electric rates for themselves and all other customers of City of Columbiana as low as possible," Willard said.