Flex Alert Declared

State officials have called for a Flex Alert from Tuesday, July 8, to Thursday, July 10. Due to the current hot weather, electricity conservation is necessary.

With a significant heat wave bearing down on California and the West this week, and with more than 300 wildfires still burning state-wide posing potential threats to the state’s power grid, the California Independent System Operator (CAISO) has declared a Flex Alert.

CAISO expects to see the highest electricity demand of the summer this week, and it urges Californians to conserve energy, especially during the “AC rush hour” from 3 to 6 p.m.

CAISO says it does not anticipate any shortages this week, but it cautions that peak demand could approach the record peak demand of 50,270 MW, set July 24, 2006 (e-Newswire, 7/26/06).

To sign up to receive e-mail and text message notification of Flex Alerts, and for energy conservations tips, visit the

Flex Alert page

1. To view the current demand on the grid and an hour-by-hour forecast of the day’s electrical surplus/shortfall, visit

CAISO’s Web site

.

To Avoid Power Outages, It is Important That You:

• Turn off all unnecessary lights.
• If you must use an air conditioner, turn it up to 78 degrees or higher.
• Postpone using major appliances until after 7 p.m.