State’s Grid Operator Asks Californians to Conserve Energy Today Due to High Energy Demand and Tight Supplies Across the West
09 September 2021 - 2:00AM
Business Wire
Operator’s Flex Alert Requests Voluntary
Conservation from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. Today
Everyone Can Take Simple Actions to Save Energy
and Protect Grid Reliability
With hot temperatures and high energy demand across the western
region, the state’s power grid operator is asking residents
statewide to voluntarily conserve electricity this afternoon and
evening when the grid is most stressed due to higher demand and
energy supplies are tighter.
The Flex Alert, called by the California Independent System
Operator (CAISO), will be in effect today from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. The
grid operator is predicting an increase in electricity demand,
primarily from air conditioning use.
The grid operator is asking all Californians to reduce
electricity use during a Flex Alert to prevent further emergency
measures, including rotating power outages.
Saving Energy at Home
Here are ways Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E)
customers can cut their power use and help keep the lights (and air
conditioning) on for everyone:
- Pre-cool your home or workspace: Lower your thermostat
in the morning. As the temperature rises outside, raise your
thermostat and circulate the pre-cooled air with a fan.
- Set your thermostat at 78 degrees or higher, health
permitting: Every degree you lower the thermostat means your
air conditioner must work even harder to keep your home cool.
- When it’s cooler outside, bring the cool air in: If the
outside air is cool in the night or early morning, open windows and
doors and use fans to cool your home.
- Close your shades: Sunlight passing through windows
heats your home and makes your air conditioner work harder. Block
this heat by keeping blinds or drapes closed on the sunny side of
your home.
- Cool down with a fan: Fans keep air circulating,
allowing you to raise the thermostat a few degrees and stay just as
comfortable while reducing your air-conditioning costs.
- Charge your EVs outside peak hours: Along with using
large appliances, remember to charge your electric vehicle in the
morning or after 9 p.m.
- Clear the area around your AC unit: Your
air-conditioning unit will operate more efficiently if it has
plenty of room to breathe. The air conditioner's outdoor unit, the
condenser, needs to be able to circulate air without any
interruption or obstruction. Also, dirty air filters make your air
conditioner work harder to circulate air. By cleaning or replacing
your filters monthly, you can improve energy efficiency and reduce
costs.
Saving Energy at Your Office or Business
If you’re working in an office setting, CAISO recommends the
following:
- Turn off any office equipment that is not currently in use.
Alternately, look for sleep or power-saving modes in between uses
during the day.
- Enable power management settings on all computers so that they
go to sleep and turn off screens when not in use.
- Plug electronics such as coffeemakers and microwaves into power
strips and switch them off when the day is done.
- As you leave the office, get in the habit of checking to make
sure computers, printers/copiers, and other office equipment is
fully shut down. If possible, switch them off at the power strip to
ensure they are no longer draining energy.
PG&E’s Demand Response programs offer incentives for
business owners and residential customers who curtail their energy
use during times of peak demand. PG&E has several of these
programs, totaling about 245,000 enrolled PG&E customers.
PG&E’s website includes detailed information on these
programs, which allow residential customers and business customers
to save energy and money.
PG&E is prepared for the heat and, based on forecasts,
doesn’t anticipate issues meeting increased demand for power.
Also, at this time, the grid operator has not indicated that it
plans to call for rotating outages. PG&E does not project a
need for a Public Safety Power Shutoff due to this weather, but the
company’s meteorology team will continuously monitor
conditions.
PG&E also urges customers to stay safe during extreme heat.
The company funds cooling centers throughout its service area to
help customers escape the heat and cool off. To find a center near
you click here or call 1-877-474-3266.
About PG&E
Pacific Gas and Electric Company, a subsidiary of PG&E
Corporation (NYSE:PCG), is a combined natural gas and electric
utility serving more than 16 million people across 70,000 square
miles in Northern and Central California. For more information,
visit pge.com and pge.com/news.
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