SCE Urges Residents to Conserve Energy During Heatwave

With a heat wave peaking, Southern California Edison officials urged people to conserve electricity to help avoid an outage.

Although the utility anticipates an adequate supply of electricity, the increased demand -- largely for air conditioning -- can put a strain on SCE's equipment, such as transformers, spokesman David Song said.

SCE crews were responding to outages as they were reported today, he said. The utility postponed some "scheduled maintenance outages" because of the heat wave, but will take down some circuits for "critical maintenance" designed to lessen the chance of equipment failure, Song said.

Anyone who sees downed power line should call 911 to report it, he said. Do not go near a downed power line or try to move one, he said.

The utility recommended:

• Setting thermostats lower than 78 degrees and using fans instead of air conditioning when practical;
• Turning off unused appliances and equipment, and turning off lights when leaving a room
• Closing drapes and blinds to keep out direct sunlight during hot periods
• Operating swimming-pool equipment and energy-intensive appliances such as dishwashers, washing machines and dryers in the mornings and evenings

--City News Service