California urged to conserve electricity a second straight day
A statewide Flex Alert, urging residents to conserve electricity, was extended into Thursday as a dangerous heat wave digs in across California.
The California Independent System Operator issued the Flex Alert "due to high temperatures pushing up energy demand and tightening available power supplies." The Flex Alert calls on residents to conserve as much electricity as possible between the hours of 4 and 9 p.m. to help reduce the strain on the state's power grid.
"With excessive heat in the forecast across much of the state and the Western U.S., the grid operator is expecting high electricity demand, primarily from air conditioning use, and is calling for voluntary conservation steps to help balance supply and demand, a statement from Cal ISO said.
Residents can pre-cool their homes and use their washer and dryers, dishwashers, and charge their electric vehicles before 4 p.m. During the alerts, residents should:
- set their thermostats to 78 degrees or higher
- avoid use of major appliances
- turn off unnecessary lights
- avoid charging electric vehicles
If voluntary conservation fails to ease the strain on the power grid, Cal ISO could move into a series of emergency alerts, including rolling blackouts. More Flex Alerts could potentially be issued throughout the holiday weekend as the punishing heat wave continues.
Most of the state is baking in high heat, and triple-digit temperatures are forecast for most of Southern California through the Labor Day holiday.