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KANSAS CITY, Mo. – This week’s extreme heat means increased electricity demand as people run air conditioners to keep up with the heat. Evergy has the generation capacity available to meet customers’ needs. 

“Our system is reliable,” said Chuck Caisley, Evergy Senior Vice President and Chief Customer Officer. “Evergy performs seasonal maintenance work on its power plants and transmission and distribution systems during mild weather to help prepare them to meet customer needs during the hot summer months. While we have seen some outages over the past few days, it’s been within normal expectations for extremely hot weather. Crews are responding quickly to restore power when outages occur.” 

Evergy also works with the Southwest Power Pool, which coordinates generation resources for the region. We appreciate our employees who are working to keep power plants running 24/7 through the heat, where temperatures in their workspace may be even higher than the local heat index, and our line crews who respond to outages to restore power to our customers. 

Ways to save at home 

As air conditioners work overtime to keep up with the heat, here are some things customers can do to help cool or prevent adding heat to their homes:   

• Cook with small appliances. Ovens release heat that makes it harder to keep your home cool. Try cooking with appliances that use less energy, such as microwaves, crockpots, or an air fryer.  
• Close blinds, shades, or curtains to block sunlight during the hottest part of the day – especially for south- or west-facing windows.  
• Turn ceiling fans counterclockwise to push cool air down. Just remember to turn them off when you leave the room, since fans cool people, not rooms.  
• Keep cool air from heading out an exterior door by placing a draft stopper to block gaps at the threshold, adding weatherstripping inside door frames, or attaching a door seal to the bottom of the door.  
• Make sure HVAC filters have been changed. Changing them every three months keeps air flowing properly and ensures furnaces and air conditioners work at peak efficiency.  

Resources 

Customers can report a power outage online or by calling 888-544-4852. For those without access to air conditioning, we encourage customers to seek cooling centers. Both Kansas and Missouri residents can call the United Way’s 211 line to find locations, and Missouri residents can access this cooling center link as well. 

About Evergy, Inc. 
Evergy, Inc. (NASDAQ: EVRG), serves 1.7 million customers in Kansas and Missouri. Evergy’s mission is to empower a better future. Our focus remains on producing, transmitting and delivering reliable, affordable, and sustainable energy for the benefit of our stakeholders. Today, about half of Evergy’s power comes from carbon-free sources, creating more reliable energy with less impact to the environment. We value innovation and adaptability to give our customers better ways to manage their energy use, to create a safe, diverse and inclusive workplace for our employees, and to add value for our investors. Headquartered in Kansas City, our employees are active members of the communities we serve. 

Media Contact:   

Courtney Lewis (she/her)
Evergy
Senior Communications Manager, Media
courtney.lewis@evergy.com

O: 816-652-1389 M: 816-878-9650
Media Line: 888-613-0003