LOS ANGELES (August 13, 2020)–A heat wave is expected to hit Los Angeles starting Friday and through the weekend. In response, the California Independent System Operator Corporation (CAISO) has issued a statewide Flex Alert asking all power customers to save energy from 3:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. on Friday, August 14.
“It’s important for all of us to work together to reduce energy demand when temperatures begin to rise,” said Martin L. Adams, Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) General Manager and Chief Engineer. “We encourage our customers to be prepared and take some simple measures to conserve energy and reduce the impact on our electric distribution system.”
In addition to asking residential customers to save energy, LADWP is also implementing a Demand Response event with its commercial customers in response to the Flex Alert. LADWP’s Demand Response is an incentive-based, voluntary program designed for businesses that helps reduce their utility bills during periods of peak power demand and helps to ensure the continued reliability of power service for Los Angeles.
With high temperatures in the forecast and an expected increase in electricity demand from residential air conditioning use, LADWP recommends the following tips to save energy:
- Adjust air conditioning thermostats to 78 degrees to reduce energy usage during the hottest hours of the day when air conditioning systems have to work the hardest to cool. And if you are away from your home, turn your air conditioning systems off.
- Reduce power use during the afternoon/early evening hours from 2:00 to 9:00 p.m. when energy use is highest.
- Limit use of major appliances during peak hours of the day. Use washing machines, dishwashers, vacuum cleaners and other heavy appliances during the early morning hours or during evening hours.
- Ventilate the home in the early morning and evening by opening windows and doors to clear out the heat and allow cooler air to circulate. Close window curtains, shades or blinds during warmer hours to reduce the extra heat from direct sunlight coming through windows.
- Turn off lights and other electrical equipment when they are not in use.
- Unplug “energy vampires” like cell phone chargers, DVD players, microwave ovens and other appliances that use energy even when not in use.
LADWP crews are prepared to respond to any power outages and will work as quickly and as safely as possible to restore power to our customers should outages occur,
LADWP will continue to provide information to our customers during the heat wave through various channels. Staff is monitoring the weather closely and sharing information on social media as well as communicating with customers via our call centers. Should there be a neighborhood outage, customers who have signed up for email and/or text outage alerts will receive notifications in their preferred language of English or Spanish.
Should an outage occur, customers can report it as well as sign up for neighborhood outage alerts at www.ladwp.com/outages. We also share updates on Twitter (@LADWP) and NextDoor.com. Customers can call 1-800-DIAL-DWP (1-800-342-5397) if they prefer to speak to a customer service representative.
In case of a power outage, here are some valuable tips for all customers on how to be ready and what to do:
- Keep a flashlight and extra batteries nearby. Never use candles in a power outage or other emergency.
- Keep a fully charged cell phone on hand. During power outages, you may lose phone service and your cordless “land line” may also lose power.
- Switch off all lights, except for one, so you will know when your power has been restored.
- Turn off and unplug electrical equipment and appliances like computers, stereos, televisions and air conditioners, and heat-producing items such as irons or hot plates. This helps to prevent circuit overloading, which could delay restoration of service.
- Keep refrigerator and freezer doors closed to protect their contents.
And remember, never touch a downed power line. Instead call 911.
###
