PIERCE, Neb. -- Count Pierce Utilities among the state's power companies asking customers to limit their energy usage.

The northeast Nebraska company is urgently asking customers to cut down on their power and natural gas usage to mitigate the risk of potential power outages due to extreme cold weather and increased regional demand.

Customers are urged to lower their thermostats by 3 degrees, unplug unnecessary appliances, close fireplace dampers, and refrain from large appliance use as much as possible.

The company says the community’s wholesale power supplier, the Municipal Energy Agency of Nebraska (MEAN) is a member of Southwest Power Pool (SPP), which oversees the power grid of an area stretching from Oklahoma to the Canadian border. SPP has declared Energy Emergency Alerts (EEA) that remain in effect until further notice. Due to widespread and extreme cold, worsening conditions are creating energy deficiencies in the region and may lead to controlled service interruptions.

Additionally, extremely high demand is causing wholesale electricity and natural gas prices to skyrocket. Conservation efforts and immediately reducing demand in the region is in everyone’s best interest, according to the company.