Delaware Electric Cooperative and Choptank Electric Cooperative are asking their members to conserve energy between the hours of 4 p.m. and 6 p.m. today.
The co-ops say due to higher than usual temperatures they expect greater than normal usage which will force them to pay premium prices on the open market.
They said this can be as much as $1 per kilowatt-hour which is passed onto the consumer.
They are advising customers to delay the use of major appliances such as dishwashers, washing machines and clothes dryers.
Other steps include closing window shades and turning the thermostat up a few degrees during these afternoon hours.