SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. (KRON) – Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) is urging customers to conserve energy to help prevent the need for rotating outages.
PG&E meteorologists are predicting that the heat wave will get hotter and continue through Wednesday night.
>>> Click here to look up where outages might happen.
A statewide Flex Alert has been issued in California, which urges consumers to conserve energy during extremely hot weather, according to the ISO.
Customers can prevent power outages by following these tips:
- Raise the thermostat: Cool homes and use air conditioners more during morning hours. Set the thermostat to 78 degrees when at home during the rest of the day, health permitting. Turn it up to 85 degrees or turn it off when not at home.
- Use a ceiling fan: Turn on a ceiling fan when using the air conditioner, which will allow the thermostat to be raised about 4 degrees to save on cooling costs with no reduction in comfort. Turn off fans and lights when you leave the room.
- Cover windows: Use shade coverings and awnings so the air conditioner won’t have to work as hard to cool the home.
- Avoid using the oven: Instead, cook on the stove, use a microwave or grill outside.
- Limit the opening of refrigerators, which are major users of electricity in most homes. The average refrigerator is opened 33 times a day.
- Clean clothes and dishes early: Use large energy-consuming appliances like washing machines and dishwashers earlier in the day or late at night after 10:00 p.m.
As record-breaking heat continues to hit the Bay Area, we’ve created a list of cooling centers you can find here.
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