Message from LCEC raises red flag for customers

A push from one of Southwest Florida’s power providers to not use your heater as the temperatures drop has raised a red flag for some customers.

Lee County Electric Cooperative put out a message urging members to avoid using heaters.

Now, we are hearing from someone who is concerned about the system’s ability to handle the community’s electricity needs.

When LCEC sent out a message to urge customers to conserve energy, Jennifer Sparr of Naples immediately questioned if this was due to a capacity concern.

Sparr said, “My immediate thought was, we’re going to start losing electricity again, but how is it that our electric company is asking us not to turn on the heat when it’s cold?”

Sparr said the cold isn’t her only concern. She has dealt with power flickers for years.

“We’ve had intermittent electricity going on and off. It’s never off very long. It’s just a flickering, but when that happens, it runs surges through all of our appliances here,” Sparr said.

She said these power surges have cost her nearly $10,000 in damages.

“We’ve spent thousands trying to replace the things this is causing, and then whenever I contacted LCEC, they did send somebody out to check the lines from the house to the pole, and they couldn’t find anything,” Sparr said.

When we contacted LCEC, they confirmed their team investigated her address but found no issues and suggested she contact an electrician.

The statement reads: “Our team investigated the issue at her address but found nothing alarming on our end. We recommended she call an electrician. No other reports in her area have been submitted to us.”

LCEC also clarified their recommendation to avoid using heaters wasn’t due to system capacity concerns but to help customers save on energy bills. They added that flickering lights are often a protective mechanism.

Shannon Williamson from LCEC said, “Blinking lights are actually a result of some type of disturbance that was protected on our electric system. When lights blink, attention and dictation that was sensitive, devices are operating properly.”

Still, Sparr and her neighbors believe there’s more to the issue. They plan to report their concerns collectively, hoping it will prompt further investigation and a claim.

In the meantime, LCEC suggests that customers conserve energy by layering up, letting sunlight warm their homes, sipping hot drinks and using space heaters cautiously.