Prolonged heat brings call for Californians to conserve electricity
As heat grips the Northern San Joaquin Valley and much of the state for days to come, consumers are being urged to conserve electricity to avoid power interruptions.
The California Independent System Operator (ISO) has issued a “flex alert,” asking residents to voluntarily conserve between 5 and 9 p.m. through Wednesday. The ISO, a nonprofit corporation, manages the flow of electricity across the high-voltage, long-distance power lines that make up 80 percent of California’s and a small part of Nevada’s grid.
The Folsom-based organization is asking the public to turn off all unnecessary lights in their homes, use major appliances before 5 p.m. and after 9 p.m., and set air conditioners to 78 degrees or higher. It also advises using fans to circulate the air and close blinds and draperies to keep out heat.
The Turlock and Modesto irrigation districts are not part of the ISO. “We are our own balancing authority ... meaning we have the responsibility to forecast and fulfill our load requirement on our own,” TID spokesman Calvin Curtin said Tuesday. “We don’t anticipate any disruption of power due to load requirements. In other words, we don’t anticipate losing power because of the heat” and the load it creates as people run air conditioners.
Still, he said “we’re always vigilant and ask customers to conserve where they can.”
Modesto Irrigation District spokeswoman Melissa Williams echoed that sentiment, saying MID doesn’t anticipate any power issues, but “we always encourage our customers to be energy conscious on days like this.”
MID is part of the Balancing Authority of Northern California, a joint powers authority that also includes the Sacramento Municipal Utility District, Roseville Electric, Redding Electric Utility, Trinity Public Utility District and the city of Shasta Lake.
On its website, TID shares energy conservation tips that also include regularly changing HVAC air filters and sealing drafty doors and windows to minimize cold air loss from your home.
Among its “top five summer energy saving tips,” MID includes these:
Consider installing a whole-house fan and get a $100 MPower rebate as a bonus.
Run washing machines and dishwashers after 10 pm — newer models have timers to make it easy.
The National Weather Service has issued a heat advisory for Modesto through 11 p.m. Thursday. High temperatures Tuesday through Thursday are expected to be near 101 degrees, and nighttime lows remain in the low 70s. Turlock is expected to be hotter still, with highs near 102 through Thursday.
Long outdoor exposure may increase chances of heat-related illness for sensitive groups such as children and the elderly, the advisory warns. Is advises residents to “drink plenty of fluids, stay in an air-conditioned room, stay out of the sun and check up on relatives and neighbors.”
This story was originally published July 24, 2018 at 12:15 PM.