Energy group holds briefing on rolling Christmas blackouts

RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) -- Representatives from the Southern Renewable Energy Association are holding a briefing to discuss the current energy market and what needs to change so the rolling blackouts over the Christmas holiday weekend don't happen again.

Tens of thousands of Duke Energy customers lost power in our state.

The company said the blackouts were due to an increased demand and the extreme cold.

The temporary power outage was a big loss to the small businesses, which would typically "be slammed" with customers making last-minute holiday purchases.

"Really inconvenient because we're not able to get the people in and let them shop with their debit cards, which most people carry now," Carol Bushee said. "We also had to close our grill, and the grill is super, super, super busy. We've not had LP (liquid propane), we've not been able to sell kerosene, not been able to sell gas so all of that is going to affect us big time."

The CEO of Duke profusely apologized and recognized how much of an inconvenience this was for their customers when the company briefed the NC Utilities Commission earlier this month. Ultimately they said they were not as prepared as they should have been for the weather conditions.