Nik Rajkovic / news@whmi.com

Many of us will stay holed up in the basement, or at least in the air conditioning, over the next couple of days, as we ride out a heat wave with near triple-digit temperatures.

Keeping cool also puts a lot of stress on the electric grid.

“The grid an absolutely handle it. We have our crews ready. They’re standing by in case anything goes on. Over the spring and summer, we’ve been investing in multiple pockets throughout our entire service territory, and we’re ready to go,” said Jerry Tullio, DTE’s operations director.

“Just like your home or your air conditioner, when it gets hot the grid gets strained. But we have people here in the system operations center monitoring the grid. We’re going to be watching. We’re going to be re-routing power as necessary if one area is more taxed than the other.”

Tullio says DTE customers can take simple steps to help ease pressure on the grid, while also keeping your home or business cool over the next couple days.

“As it heats up, if you shade your windows, especially where the sun is coming in. Close the doors and registers in rooms you’re not using. Have your fans spin counter clockwise. Those are all things that will help with usage and keep your house cold,” he said.

DTE also urges customers to wait until the evening to run large appliances like the dishwasher or doing laundry, cook with a microwave or on an outdoor grill instead of using an oven.

If needed, the Salvation Army of Livingston County’s Lake Street location in Howell serves as a local cooling center. Cooling centers also are set up at the Loose Senior Citizens Center in Linden, and Wixom Police Department.

Both DTE and Consumers Energy outage maps are linked below.