Californians urged to conserve energy for 9 straight days amid heat wave
Californians are at a high risk of losing power as the state’s grid operator calls for a ninth day in a row to conserve energy on Thursday with demand to continue to strain the grid. Unsurprisingly, the Flex Alert was issued for Thursday, as sweltering temperatures are expected across the state once again. This alert will last from 3 p.m. to 10 p.m.Leer en españolThe state was at risk of rolling power outages after Cal ISO declared an “Energy Emergency Alert 2” for Wednesday. It’s a couple of steps above a Flex Alert, and residents are strongly urged to cut back on energy use amid hot temperatures. The next step is an “Energy Emergency Alert 3,” which means energy demand is outpacing supply. When it reaches that point, the grid operator could order rotating outages at any time. The previous eight Flex Alerts have been issued to avoid power disruptions due to the increased strain on the power grid as more people are using electricity to keep cool amid record-breaking heat. | Video Below | CA ISO gives update on power grid after Tuesday’s record-breaking heatHere are things you can do to conserve energy during a flex alertSet the thermostat at 78 degrees or higher, if health permitsAvoid using major appliancesTurn off unnecessary lightsUse fans for coolingUnplug unused itemsLast week, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed an executive order intended to temporarily increase the state’s energy supply.So far this week, there have not been any planned outages reported in relation to excessive use of energy. However, thousands of people went without power on Tuesday when temperatures hit record-breaking numbers. In 2020, multiple factors including high temperatures and an Oregon wildfire, led to several days of rolling blackouts for millions of Californians.| Video Below | ‘Significantly stressed’: Cal ISO says demand for power is as high as summer of 2017, expects it to increaseHow long will the heat last? The heat is expected to continue through Friday. KCRA 3’s weather team is calling Thursday and Friday heat impact days with highs forecast in the 108-111 range in the Valley. That means people should plan around the heat in the afternoons, especially students with after-school activities.(Click through below for the 7-day forecast, more.)How to check PG&E rotating outages across CaliforniaIn the event of rotating outages, the utility released a search map that allows customers to search and see if their home would be impacted. Click here to search by address.How to search SMUD’s map of rotating outagesThe Sacramento Municipal Utility District is also preparing for possible outages. Click here to search by address.Monitor power outages statewideYou can also track outages across California with this map below that uses data from the California Office of Emergency Services. App users, click here.California’s grid operator says miscommunication led to some power shutoffsMiscommunication led utilities to mistakenly cut power to customers in several California cities during unprecedented demand on energy supplies, operators of the state’s electricity grid acknowledged Wednesday while warning the continuing extreme heat could prompt much larger…
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