California's power grid operator has issued a statewide energy conservation for Tuesday. People are urged to reduce energy use during the afternoon on Friday between the hours of 11:00am and 6:00pm. This is when air conditioners drive lots of consumption.
Here are some tips from California ISO when a Flex Alert has been issued:
For the Home:
1. Set your thermostat at 78 degrees or higher when home and turn it off when away.
2. Keep the refrigerator full (with bottles of water if nothing else) and unplug that second unit.
3. Switch off the lights when you leave a room.
4. Avoid using appliances during peak hours of late afternoon and evening, 4-6 p.m. being most critical.
5. Reset your pool pump to run during off peak hours.
For the Office:
1. Turn off the computer monitor when you're away from your desk (it's the biggest power drain on your computer system).
2. Turn off the lights and computers in empty offices.
3. Switch off the coffee maker at 10 a.m., leave a full pot and reheat individual mugs in the microwave.
4. Leave half of the room's overhead lighting off -- it's a double savings, less light also means less heat so your air conditioner gets a break.
5. Check that office thermostats are set at 78 degrees or higher during the day and off in the evenings and weekends.
More information:
More California ISO's Flex Alert Tips
Simple actions on the Flex Alert website
At a glance view of the current supply and demand graph
