Today will kick off a week of above normal temperatures throughout Northern and Central California.
Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) is helping customers prepare for the incoming excessive heat wave by sharing ways to reduce energy bills and stay safe.
Energy Savings Tips
Here are easy ways to lower AC costs and still stay cool indoors during the prolonged heat.
- Adjust thermostat to 78 degrees or higher, after cooling the home to below-normal levels in the morning. Turn it off when away from the home.
- Replace filters monthly
Dirty air filters make the air conditioner work harder to circulate the air. Clean and/or replace air filters monthly to improve energy efficiency and reduce costs. - Close shades in the afternoon
Sunlight passing through windows heats the home and makes the air conditioner work harder. Customers can block this heat by keeping blinds or drapes closed on sunny days. - Avoid using the oven. Instead, cook on the stove, use a microwave or grill outside.
- Enroll in PG&E’s new program, Power Saver Rewards. The free, voluntary program rewards participants for temporarily reducing energy use when demand is high. By conserving energy during Power Saver Rewards events coinciding with Flex Alerts customers earn $2 for each kilowatt-hour (kWh) of energy saved. It’s easy to enroll and get rewarded for reducing energy use.
Customers can also enroll in free programs including Bill Forecast Alerts, and Budget Billing to spread energy costs evenly throughout the year.
Additionally, eligible customers may be able to sign up for income-qualified programs offering a monthly discount including the California Alternative Rates for Energy (CARE) and the Family Electric Rate Assistance (FERA) Programs. Some customers may also qualify for the Energy Saving Assistance Program offering free improvements to make the home more efficient, safe and comfortable.
If the elevated heat leads to outages, PG&E has a plan to address any issues that come from the high temperatures and crews monitoring the situation are ready to respond.
PG&E’s plan includes closely monitoring grid conditions and having restoration and repair crews ready to immediately respond to potential heat-related outages.
Outage safety tips
And here are ways for customers to stay safe if outages occur:
- Have flashlights, radios, and fresh batteries ready. Use battery-operated flashlights, not candles, which pose a fire hazard.
- Unplug or turn off all electric and heat-producing appliances (e.g., air conditioners, washers and dryers, ovens, stoves, irons) to avoid overloading circuits. Overloaded circuits can be a fire hazard once power is restored.
- Leave a single lamp on to alert you when power returns.
- Keep refrigerator and freezer doors closed, and place extra containers of ice inside to preserve food. A full freezer will remain colder longer.
- Keep important numbers (e.g., hospital, fire department, police, friends, relatives) near the phone.
Although PG&E does not anticipate initiating any Public Safety Power Shutoff events over the next seven days, being prepared remains important.
I doubt the self-righteous EV owners will refrain from recharging their cars during that time.
or maybe Newscum with pay everyone’s salary for tomorrow because they can’t charge the car and get to work….
No charging EV’s. No using AC. China is increasing coal extraction, causing unbridled pollution. Chinese has NO restrictions on burning fuels.
Biden shut down the fuel pipelines that promised to make America independent from foreign powers. Newsom promised to insure the rise of dependence on EV’s and the end of long distance travel for the middleclass.
….. And what a lot of people don’t know is that up to 29% of our Bay Area pollution floats over from China!
So while we can try as much as we can- and we should- countries like China and India are very dirty and will still be sending us their pollution.
I would like to see that all these EV and hybrid vehicle users/owners plug their EVs in all at once and watch the Western US power grid collapse!!
How’s that for you climate changers and Gore followers??!!
That won’t be a problem with all the new “smart” chargers that are probably already in development. They’ll let the government ration the power automatically so the grid doesn’t get overloaded.
Yes Chicken you are correct. And… also all the data from the EV that has been bought being sent to the State that will be able to monitor your car and driving habits, etc….
Sure glad that we will soon, own nothing, and be happy.
So true! Except for maybe the happy part.
How about we elect people who know how to run a government so we have enough power and water always. What will happen next year if there is a small amount of snow in the Sierras? They have no plan. Nothing is in the works. There are no new electricity generating plants being built. They are even thinking of closing a nuke plant. They want to cover the water canals with solar panels. Make the Chinese richer. They haven’t a clue.
Does anyone actually run these days who knows how to run a government? Even if there are such do they really want to subject themselves and their family to the pain and criticism which ensues not to mention dealing with those in the back alleys offering packets of cash.
Speaking of covering the canal with solar panels, it is being reported by CNBC that there were six fires or electrical explosions on the roofs of Amazon fulfillment centers in 2020 and 2021 caused by solar panels. Who will be watching the entire canal for fires and what will the melting panel material do to the water quality. This government is so incompetent.
Captain Bebops I think you hit the nail on the head. Sort of bears out when no on wants to run for office in cities in CCC. Thats why Trump was so great, he knew how to get to the heart of the problem. He didn’t need someone elses money. He knew where the problems were and went after them. Unfortunately a big problem was the press, and there was no way to win that war. If he had the press he could have shut down the democrats. My favorite was Obama warned Trump about North Korea and Trump went to the DMZ and handled Kim like a pro. No more misallies out of North Korea until Joey came along. No war in the Ukraine until Joey.
Self destructiveness is a sickness. when I snap my fingers the extreme left will wake up from their mind control 3,2,1,,,,,,,,, “Snap!
I like your thought but that is some heavy duty wishful thinking.
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I hope the grid collapses and anarchy reigns.
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Bring it on! Kyle Rittenhouse will look like an amateur.
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#2A
#SHTF
#CastleDoctrine
Tips from captain oblivious.
I was thinking the other day how my parents and grandparents survived the dust bowl era of the 1920’s.
Tough times, tough people.
Can you imagine a depression now? Nothing would be safe and the country would be burned down.
For the first time my PG&E report on my energy efficiency showed I was 8% more efficient than the most efficient homes. That’s the first time that has happened as I usually rank between average and most efficient. Even that way I’ve had either a discount or $0 bill once a year. I don’t think they do that anymore.
@Cellophane…The Dust Bowl Era is considered the 1930s, “The Dirty 30s”. My folks survived that and I heard many stories through my life. PBS has an excellent Ken Burns documentary about the Dust Bowl Era and confirms stories I’ve heard with old films of that time, tough times for sure…..
https://www.pbs.org/kenburns/the-dust-bowl/
Cellophane, I have gut wrenching photos from my Grandmother’s photo album depicting how hard life was for them in the 20’s. They were living in tents. Community’s came together to fed one another, with huge cauldrons full of who knows what. Men, woman and children lined up in open fields hoping to get a tin plate of food. Picking cotton and fruit, if they were lucky, they got to work in the cannery. Your right it was a real hard life and they were a tough breed of people. It was the Grapes of Wrath mimicking their lives, that’s for sure.
I have old photos of my grandparents farm and my parents.
I am in awe of their strength and character.
They fought the hard times and survived to thrive.
So much money wasted on useless studies and ineffective agencies that should have been used to strengthen the electrical grid for the increased load and to protect it from EMP attack. This is beyond irresponsible and mandating only electric vehicles over gas vehicles is profoundly stupid.
Agree!
We’ve taken steps, thermostat at 71 and our Generac whole house generator will be our backup for as long as the power is out.
Blackouts not a concern at all for us