The manager of California’s power grid has issued a statewide Flex Alert for Wednesday, asking residents and businesses to cut back on power usage to prevent strain on the system.
The California Independent System Operator is calling on Californians to save power between 4 p.m. and 9 p.m. on Wednesday as a dangerous and record-breaking heat wave settles over the area.
Temperatures will climb into the triple-digits in many areas of the region through Labor Day, which means more people will be home trying to keep themselves and their homes cool.
In a statement, Cal ISO said additional Flex Alerts are possible through the holiday weekend.
During a Flex Alert, Californians are urged to conserve power by setting thermostats to 78 degrees or higher, avoid using major appliances and charging electric vehicles and turn off unnecessary lights. Residents are also encouraged to pre-cool their homes before peak power use hours begin at 4 p.m.
“We talk about setting your thermostat to 78 degrees… that’s not enough. It’s important when you do that,” said David Song with Southern California Edison. “So before 4 p.m., get that temperature in your home down to 68 degrees, 70 degrees, so that you have some momentum going into that five-hour period when we ask you to really curtail usage.”
“At that point, turn off the AC or set it to a higher temperature like 78 degrees, and then it’ll cycle less because you’ve pre-cooled your home beforehand,” he added.
Southern California Edison will have extra personnel on hand to make repairs should a problem arise with its equipment.
DEVELOPING: We will add more details to this report as they become available.
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