As a heat wave hits Southern California, officials are urging residents to conserve energy and stay prepared for potential power shutoffs that could last longer this summer.
Southern California Edison says high heat is not the only factor it monitors. The utility also tracks dry vegetation and humidity levels at its emergency operations center in Irwindale to determine if a public safety power shutoff is necessary to prevent wildfires.
Heat waves can put significant strain on the power grid. While SCE works to reduce wildfire risk, customers are reminded to conserve electricity, especially during peak hours, to avoid additional outages.
“As of today, we have approximately 8,900 customers that are under consideration for a public safety power shutoff,” said SCE spokesperson Diane Castro. “We will only initiate a public safety power shutoff when conditions call for it and these conditions are beyond the summer heat. It is dry vegetation. It’s low humidity.”
Castro said SCE uses a team of meteorologists, fire scientists, and more than 1,500 weather stations, along with crews on site, to monitor live weather conditions. She added that the utility notifies customers in advance when shutoffs are likely.
“Sometimes we’ll do up to the hour if we have to shut off their power,” Castro said. “But we do all we can to just keep them safe.”
In addition to public safety shutoffs, residents may also face rotating outages when the state projects energy shortages. Those outages, managed by the California Independent System Operator, last occurred in August 2020.
“They manage the grid for the state of California,” Castro said. “It is CAISO that will call for a Flex Alert. And they’ll let us know. They work with us and other utilities so that we can spread the messages to our customers to do all they can to conserve energy.”
On Thursday, CAISO’s outlook showed demand was below capacity. A spokesperson said it continues to forecast enough supply to cover demand through this week and does not anticipate shortfalls or the need for rotating outages.
To help conserve energy, SCE recommends avoiding heavy appliance use between 4 p.m. and 9 p.m., when demand is highest.
“That would be a great time to use your washing machine, to do your laundry, to use your dishwasher,” Castro said. She also advised residents to unplug devices and appliances that continue drawing electricity even when not in use, known as “vampire devices” — like coffee makers and gaming consoles.
The company’s Energy Education Center offers free online and in-person classes for customers looking for more ways to be energy efficient.