SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) — Utility officials are urging Bay Area residents to reduce energy use during this week’s two day heat wave.
For the first time in two years, the California Independent System Operator (ISO) has issued a system-wide Flex Alert calling on residents to reduce energy use from 2 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Tuesday and Wednesday. Those hours are when energy demand is the highest during hot weather.
PG&E is also reminding customers of ways to be energy efficient during the summer heat. Officials with the utility are encouraging people to take advantage of a variety of no-to-low-cost energy efficiency programs.
“As we head into another warm California summer, we want to remind customers about all the opportunities to be more energy efficient and avoid leaving any amount of savings on the table,” said Laurie Giammona, PG&E’s Senior Vice President and Chief Customer Officer.
Officials say energy efficiency practices in the home can go a long way to help customers save money this summer, especially in communities that require using higher energy to stay comfortable during the hot weather. Suggestions include using power strips, unplugging devices, upgrading home insulation, turning off the water heater when away from the home, and hanging laundry to dry.
PG&E says every customer can start by conducting a Home Energy Checkup to ensure their home is as energy efficient as possible, which translates to potential money savings. The web-based assessment offers a customized list of tips to boost energy efficiency and associated cost savings within a customer’s home.
Officials also recommend going to the pool to keep cool. For customers with pools, PG&E offers a $100 Pool Pump Rebate to help save energy with a more energy efficient pump, which can lead to a savings of up to $1000 in energy costs a year, according to the utility company.
PG&E is also reminding customers about its SmartAC program, which offers a $50 incentive for participating. The automated program helps prevent power interruptions for customers and their neighbors during high usage times. After installing a free SmartAC device on their air conditioner, PG&E can automatically signal the customer’s machine to run at a lower capacity when demand is highest, if needed, to prevent an energy supply shortage from May to October.
PG&E’s SmartRate plan allows customers to pay up to 20 percent less on their summer electric bills. Customers on this plan pay a reduced rate from June through September in exchange for minimizing their electricity usage on as many as 15 “SmartDays.” Those are days when electric rates are higher from 2:00-7:00pm. Customers are notified through text, email or phone one day before a SmartDay so they can plan to shift or reduce electricity usage the following day.
The Balanced Payment Plan (BPP) makes customers’ monthly energy bills more predictable by helping them budget their energy costs. The plan levels out customers’ monthly payments so they don’t see big spikes on their bills if their energy usage changes significantly from season to season.
The utility says customers saved $160 million on their bills through its programs in 2014. Also through these programs, customers avoided the emission of more than 776,850 metric tons of carbon dioxide over the year – equivalent to taking over 163,000 cars off the road, according to PG&E.