ASHEVILLE, N.C. (828newsNOW) — A power outage reported around 7:20 a.m. Monday left about 1,400 Duke Energy customers without electricity in areas between Leicester and Alexander.

According to Duke Energy’s online outage map, the cause of the outage was unknown. Service was expected to be restored by 11 a.m.

By 9:30 a.m., the number of Buncombe County customers without electricity had climbed to 1,510. Two outages in Henderson County left 131 customers without power.

The outages came as Duke Energy urged customers across the Carolinas to conserve electricity during periods of peak demand Monday between 4 and 10 a.m. The utility said reducing energy use during those hours can help lessen strain on the power grid and reduce the risk of additional outages.

Duke Energy encouraged customers to set thermostats at the lowest comfortable temperature, avoid using large appliances such as washing machines, dryers and dishwashers during peak hours, turn off unnecessary lights and electronics, and charge electric vehicles during midday hours when demand is typically lower.